Chapter 92
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: End of the Dream
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I had a good dream.
You know the kind—no real memories, just that lingering pleasant sensation.
That's exactly how I felt when I woke up.
Well, it vanished the instant I came to my senses and saw the face right in front of me.
"Sleep well, big bro?"
"...Yuria, why are you here?"
I rubbed my eyes and took a good look around. The room was unusually spacious. The ornate decorations everywhere didn't carry House Zahav's peculiar vulgarity; instead, they exuded a refined antiquity.
It wasn't until I spotted the imperial crest prominently displayed that it hit me.
This wasn't Zahav Castle or my own bed. I'd woken up in one of the Imperial Palace's bedrooms.
Once that sank in, fragments of what happened right before I blacked out started flooding back.
The God of Nightmares couldn't maintain its form and scattered. With it, the black mages' souls were utterly annihilated.
This mess had been resolved somehow.
...Which made this situation even harder to understand.
I let out a deep sigh toward Yuria, who was lying right beside me on this bed far plusher and larger than my own, staring intently at me when there were plenty of other spots.
"So, why are you here, Yuria?"
"What a weird question. Where big bro is, his little sister is too. Isn't that as obvious as night duties being part of a young maid's job?"
"I don't even know where to start correcting that, but for one, a maid's main duties aren't night service."
"Wh-what... aren't?"
"Nope."
"You're lying..."
Yuria's face crumpled like the world had ended. I left her to it and propped myself up.
She'd basically camped out in the room where I was sleeping because she's a Zahav too—my little sister, after all. Family visitation privileges or whatever.
My body felt a bit stiff from lying around so long, but overall, refreshingly fine. I circulated my aura out of habit to check my condition, and everything was perfectly sound.
No, it even felt a tad better than before.
Partly because I'd grown accustomed to the expanded mana circuits from the fierce battle... but my total mana had increased too.
Someone must've fed me a ton of spirit elixirs. And that's one of the most common treatments in this world for patients low on energy—pumping them full of restoratives that directly aid physical recovery.
Usually for recovery rather than boosting mana reserves, but...
Eat enough of them, and your mana pool grows anyway. I'd learned that from Jevella's lavish spreads and the elixirs I'd scarfed down indiscriminately in Calypso Territory.
Looked like the palace had nursed my unconscious self with utmost devotion.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, lightly cracked my neck, rolled my shoulders to loosen up.
As I methodically relaxed my stiffened muscles, I spoke.
"How many days was I out, Yuria?"
"...Huh? About four days?"
Having barely calmed her trembling body from the betrayal, Yuria rolled across the bed and rested her head on my thigh as she answered.
"Four days exactly. I came straight here from the dorms after waking up. I've eaten ten meals since, so yeah, about four days."
"You're counting days by meals...?"
Pure Zahav style. But compared to the wild tales I'd heard in the capital, this was downright tame.
I gently tickled under her chin, and like she'd been waiting, a deep purring rumbled out.
Is this a person or a big beast? Makes you wonder if we're all just animals deep down, I thought idly as I asked,
"Right, can you fill me in on what's happened in the meantime? Feels like stuff I should know."
"Easy."
Yuria melted under my touch, her voice languid and dripping.
"First, after you charged the academy to save me while I was asleep. I kept having those weird nightmares... then suddenly, the nightmare's focus shifted. To you, big bro."
"Yeah? Oh, right. That tracks."
My mind had been half on the black mages, but saving Yuria was a bonus, so it lined up roughly.
...Truth be told, I nodded vaguely because admitting I'd half-forgotten in jest might shatter her world again.
"Everyone saw it. Not just me—the whole capital saw little kid you."
"Tch. Thinking back now, it's kinda embarrassing. I was just a kid then."
"What're you talking about? Everyone was in awe of you. They called you a hero born from the lowest depths."
"What's that supposed to... Don't central nobles hate bastards like that?"
"That's only if they don't know your past."
Yuria gazed up at me earnestly. Her constant stroking of my hand paused as she continued.
"Now we know the pain you endured. How you never broke under it. How you endured and endured until you seized that fleeting chance, stood tall before a god and swung your fist... And how, even after a decade and a half, you kept your word."
I'll kill all the black mages. Probably referring to that vow.
And they'd taken enough damage to cripple them as an organization.
"Plus, now everyone knows how strong you are. Think anyone's gonna badmouth you lightly?"
"That so?"
"Yep. Central nobles are nobles, after all. They know what matters most to nobility. Though some might lack even that basic sense..."
Recalling her academy days, maybe? Yuria's expression clouded briefly before turning into a short scoff.
"Those types? The nobles who charged the academy with you, or His Imperial Majesty—they won't let that slide."
"Nobles, sure. But His Majesty?"
I knew I'd done something big. But from Wilfried's perspective, wasn't I the guy who killed his son?
Honestly, I figured he'd harbor some quiet resentment, even if he didn't show it.
People are like that. But an emperor's apparently made of sterner stuff.
"Bet you anything: right now, His Majesty's the biggest supporter of you in the capital."
"...That much?"
"Mm-hmm. Second is Elise unni, then Cornelia."
"Ah, so you met Elise."
"She comes every day to check on you. I've been glued to your side here, so of course I saw her a few times."
"...This is the Imperial Palace."
"That she's from the underworld? There was some talk at first, but once I said she was your favorite concubine, no one batted an eye."
"Heh."
"Right, speaking of which— is Elise unni really your concubine? Before me, your sister? If so, I'll just..."
I physically pinned down Yuria as she squirmed to undress while lying there, then sighed deeply.
"Calm down. Anyway, if that's the vibe, guess I should meet His Majesty later."
"Treating an imperial audience like meeting the neighbor uncle... Ngh! Being pinned like this... Hit! Feels kinda nice."
I yanked my hand away in alarm, and Yuria regretfully fiddled with her nape.
She stared at me with pleading eyes for a moment before something occurred to her.
"Oh yeah! Speaking of, you know Cornelia's been on fire lately thanks to you?"
"Hm? What'd I do for Princess Cornelia?"
"Word is you're a softie for your little sister's friend. Coming to the capital, behaving at the banquet, even beating the God of Nightmares this time—all because you like her."
"Only one's right, though?"
I'd planned to behave at the banquet anyway, so strictly speaking, none were accurate.
I'd kept distance from Cornelia and the other imperial heirs precisely to avoid political entanglements...
From what Yuria said, at some point Cornelia had become the one who could make 'requests' of me via killer charm.
"...Gotta cash in on something later."
"It's a misunderstanding that benefits me—gotta take a cut if I'm being sold off for profit."
"Classic big bro. Even in front of your sister, declaring you'll claim a princess's body so boldly!"
"Never said that. And don't talk like anything goes just because you're my sister."
"Huh... Then what's the perk of being your sister...?"
"There isn't one."
"Aha! So sisters are no different from other females? Got it."
"Please stop with the nonsense..."
Just this short chat had drained me.
Catching on, Yuria giggled once, then dropped the playfulness and calmly listed the rest in chronological order.
Thanks to banishing the God of Nightmares, the Church of Night was pushing to canonize me as a saint.
Nobles with zero ties to the center were lining up like it was a queue, sending gifts to Zahav lands.
Or funneling massive investments into the mercenary guild business via Elise.
The entire capital was groveling to win me over.
Honestly, it was a bit surreal.
"There was other stuff too, I think... Hmm. I'd get it faster from someone else."
"Someone else?"
"Yeah. Cornelia and her sister should be coming to visit soon. They'd know more than me."
"Sister, huh."
I tensed a bit, wondering if it was another princess.
Knock knock. Slide.
Sure enough, shortly after, two women entered after a simple knock.
I pinched Yuria's nose tip as I saw Cornelia and her companion.
"Eek! What the heck, big bro!"
"Remember this, Yuria. That's not Princess Cornelia's sister—it's her aunt."
"Huh...?"
"Not sister—auntie."
Hearing "auntie," Adriana shrugged.
"Still gets little Zahav excited, right?"
"Auntie, please..."
For some reason, Adriana stuck her tongue out at me while Cornelia begged her to stop.
The moment I chuckled at how exhausted they both looked,
Adriana's face turned deadly serious upon seeing my smile.
"Little Zahav. Just to check— you don't use divine power, do you?"
"Nope, not at all."
"...Then we'll need to call Archbishop Byron back."
"What's this about? Out of nowhere."
Adriana stared straight at me.
"You look weirdly handsome right now."
"Thanks, but..."
"Unnaturally handsome. ...Like meeting the ideal type from my dreams."
"What?"
"And if my senses aren't off... I'm picking up a faint, familiar aura from you, little Zahav."
"..."
Looks like the God of Nightmares left something behind in me.