Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Appendix: About Sisel Yurensuto
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"Your Highness the Second Prince, First Princess Elaine has just arrived outside—"
First Princess Elaine was, in most cases, faster than sound. Before Analyst C's warning could even reach him, she had already appeared in Irid's cramped and shabby office.
If there was one difference before and after her therapy with the mad wizard, it was that now even sound had vanished. Her perfected wind manipulation guaranteed utmost stealth.
Too late, then. Not enough time to activate the office's thirteen personal security devices!
"Irid, my little brother!"
"I'm warning you, I'm already twenty-one this year. I won't tolerate being treated like a child without proper mutual respect anymore... Urp."
"What's with the stiff attitude when we haven't seen each other in ages? Come here."
The imperial centrifuge, complete with respiratory compression, spun thirteen full rotations.
⋯⋯⋯⋯.
Irid placed a hand on his aching waist and asked sullenly. (He thought it was a cool expression radiating icy chill, and it actually was, but to Elaine, it just looked pouty.)
"So, what is it?"
"A report on the eastern front situation, and I figured it's about time to start the groundwork from the shadows. We've agreed that you're going to be emperor, but our subordinates haven't, right?"
Elaine tapped her index finger on her chin as she spoke, and Irid nodded. Weren't they publicly known as estranged siblings?
Pretend to be at odds, then push for a sudden alliance to crown Irid emperor. That was their rough plan.
But not everyone would buy into it. There'd be political uproar, and the staff suddenly forced to collaborate after growling at each other would complain of mental anguish.
Why push that charisma-lacking guy Irid for emperor? Vs. Why push Elaine, who can't do anything but get her hands bloody? If you rip each other's hair out fighting like that, then suddenly lump them together as a team overnight, of course there'd be friction.
So, they needed some loose buffer.
At the very least, their closest aides needed to share the knowledge, and a subtle atmosphere of potential cooperation among those aides had to form. This was the first step.
"Irid, could you do me one favor?"
"What is it?"
"I have a knight I really cherish... She wants to enter the Hero Selection Tournament. I'd love to accompany her since she's unstable, but I can't leave the eastern front."
"...A fine pretext. It won't sound odd for you, who cherishes your knights so dearly, to ask a favor from me, your rival, for one of your subordinates."
At those words, Elaine chuckled softly. It was a gentle smile, but one could sense a hint of bitterness beneath it.
"I did think it was a convenient excuse, but it was something I intended to ask anyway. As you know... those who have reached Apotheosis tend to be unstable."
"I'll accommodate as much as possible. Just help her win the Hero Selection Tournament?"
"Mm, no. Actually, it's the opposite of what I want to ask."
Thud.
Elaine pulled out a document listing the knight's personal details and slid it toward Irid. Alongside a portrait of her with pale golden hair cascading down, her illustrious achievements were listed in full.
Vice Captain of the Clear Wind Knight Order, direct subordinates of First Princess Elaine on the eastern front purification unit. Sisel Yurensuto.
Eight solo closures of Demon Realm dimensional gates, 132 deployments in contamination zone purification operations, solo extermination of an Apotheosis-level demon wave, sole survivor of the Unreturning Valley Defense Battle—.
Each accomplishment far surpassed the extraordinary. It was performance beyond what one would expect from a typical Apotheosis achiever, and her name was on the list of potential Transcendence candidates.
Sisel Yurensuto's martial prowess ranked at the absolute pinnacle of the vast empire. Or rather, it had.
Elaine's finger paused at the end of that brilliant record. There, the phrase "3-month ban on deployment due to chronic illness" clung like damp mold.
The moment Irid confirmed it, he spotted a certain pattern in her record.
Sisel Yurensuto's achievements were steadily losing their luster over time. Despite her young age, her active deployments were consistently decreasing. It was odd.
Unless she was content with her accomplishments and holding back, this was...
Thud.
The First Princess flipped the document over so it couldn't be seen. The back of that brilliant record was a blank white sheet, empty as could be. Elaine gazed down at it with sunken eyes and spoke her true feelings.
"I want Sisel to fail the Hero Selection Tournament and retire."
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Clop clop, neigh.
The light whinny of a horse echoed as a small carriage pulled up in front of the inn "Beer and Song." A tall woman emerged from inside.
A straight, imposing figure standing 176 cm tall.
Her refreshingly arched eyebrows and resolute purple eyes, brimming with knightly integrity, were so perfect they seemed straight out of a fairy tale heroine knight.
Since "Beer and Song" served as a disguised outpost, a fully armored knight entering would raise suspicions. Thus, Sisel wore civilian clothes instead of armor, yet even so.
The intangible force from her trained physique and demeanor made her look every bit the knight.
Though they shared blood, she exuded a completely different aura from a certain Magic Tower Master. Like the sun versus shadow.
Her chest plate was slim, but for a slaughter specialist who turned war into an art, what need was there for fatty bulk? It would only hinder her.
The First Princess was impressive for racking up achievements even with such hindrances. Not impressive for her chest, that is.
Sisel Yurensuto gazed up at the rundown inn's facade and muttered her impressions aloud.
"This is His Highness the Second Prince's residence. Quite modest. Prioritizing substance over appearance... He takes after First Princess Elaine in that regard. Blood truly doesn't lie..."
Elaine herself, despite her noble birth, shared rough barracks with her knights and led charges into bloody battlefields. Where else could one find such a ruler? That's why Sisel could serve her with all her heart.
Did Irid possess that same quality? If so, the empire's future was brighter than ever.
"You've done well. You're free to go now."
"Yes, ma'am."
The coachman nodded.
Clop clop.
The carriage that dropped Sisel off quietly departed. She took a deep breath and stepped toward the inn...
"Hm."
Somehow, she felt empty.
What was it? What was making her feel so hollow? Was it because First Princess Elaine wasn't by her side, leaving a hole in her heart?
Or had leaving the familiar eastern front behind, even briefly, made her worry about her comrades waiting for her, filling her with emptiness?
Or perhaps, her hands and shoulders felt so light because...
"Ah."
She had taken off her armor, but of course she'd brought it. It was neatly packed in wooden boxes inside the carriage, along with her personal items and beloved sword.
And just now, Sisel herself had sent the coachman off without unloading the luggage.
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
My zweihander. My armor.
Sisel Yurensuto snapped to attention and, face falling, bolted after the departing carriage.
"W-Wait! Coachman, hold up! I forgot to unload...!!"
In the end, it took Sisel about thirty minutes of chasing to catch up and retrieve her belongings.
Irid, who had received a report that a knight had arrived at the inn, thought, upon seeing her dawdle for thirty minutes without coming up, "Is she seriously trying to psych me out?"
If the mad wizard had seen it, she would have said blood truly doesn't lie.
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"Victory to the eastern front! I am Vice Captain Sisel Yurensuto of the Clear Wind Knight Order. I pay respects to the empire's most noble bloodline and the qualifier of the Dragon Heart."
"Keep it brief next time. I hate wasting time."
Meaning: I hate wasting time, so why were you thirty minutes late?
"Understood, Your Highness."
"At least your replies are quick."
Meaning: Your replies are quick, so why were you slow?
Irid tossed in some invisible jabs per aristocratic social protocol, but Sisel Yurensuto maintained her steadfast knightly demeanor, showing no sign of catching them.
One of two things: either a hardcore warrior with zero ties to high society, or a master player who knew full well but cloaked herself in "I know nothing" innocence.
Irid threw out a probe.
"I heard eyewitness reports of you chasing after the carriage."
"...That was a momentary lapse."
Whoosh.
Her steadfast knight facade turned into a boiled squid, face alone. Even the Violet Magic Tower Master struggled with composure control. Genetics, perhaps.
If she couldn't even manage that much emotional control, it was just a simple mistake, not a power play. As long as it wasn't intentional, that was fine. Irid forgave her inwardly.
"Do you understand why you're here and the flow of things?"
"Ah, yes. I believe First Princess Elaine arranged this courtesy. The Hero Selection Tournament will draw many powerhouses, and there are many things beyond combat to worry about, so it would be tough alone..."
Sisel only knew the surface reason.
She seemed oblivious to Elaine hoping for her retirement. Nor had she heard the political currents. She was purely focused on the hero selection.
Strange.
The Yurensuto count family was a new noble house with short history but considerable influence, so she should have received proper education.
Irid had met a daughter of the Yurensuto counts before at a social event. She seemed all about mingling with royals to climb the ladder, so he gave her perfunctory attention and left. That daughter had political translation software and noble intuition equipped. Those were skills from education. In contrast, Sisel Yurensuto was excessively innocent.
Come to think of it, the Violet Magic Tower Master was similar. A difference in upbringing philosophy, or... had she not received any education at all?
No, not important.
Irid tapped his forehead with a finger. How the Yurensuto family operated wasn't his concern. What mattered was Sisel Yurensuto herself.
Her desires were clear. Now, only questions remained. Irid cut to the core.
"Why do you want to become a hero?"
"...Well, you see..."
Irid couldn't read every flicker of emotion in Sisel's eyes.
He wasn't a monster like the mad wizard. He couldn't dissect comma-seconds with hyper observation. But intuitively, he could.
He saw a wilting orchid.
"Embarrassing as it is, I've fallen ill. My body isn't what it used to be, and my Apotheosis output is declining. Soon, I'll lose my qualification as a knight."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Birth, aging, sickness, death. Everyone is born, grows old, falls ill, and dies. A fate all life must face someday.
And for some, this harsh fate arrives swifter.
"They say it's because my Apotheosis is... malformed. Apparently, it consumes my soul. Priests and wizards alike say there's no fixing the wounds left on the soul."
"My sister's Apotheosis had a self-destruct function too. Hers only damaged the body, but there are worse cases?"
"Yes."
An Apotheosis that burned one's own soul. That explained Sisel Yurensuto's extraordinary feats. Strength proportional to sacrifice was the natural order.
Thus, Sisel Yurensuto fought—and died—simultaneously.
Having nearly burned through her life's essence in the fierce eastern front battles, this knight with little time left spoke her final hope.
"But I hear heroes receive infinite divine power from the Goddess. The priests shook their heads, but perhaps the Goddess herself..."
"...could heal the soul. That's what you thought. That's why you aim to be a hero."
"Yes, exactly right, Your Highness."
Sisel nodded quietly.
It made sense.
A compelling motivation. Wanting to reclaim what was lost was a universal yearning. But there was one crucial aspect he couldn't ignore.
"Suppose fortune smiles and your soul is healed. Then what?"
"I'll return to the eastern front and fight for Her Highness once more."
"Your soul will erode again, leading to death. Even if the Goddess's power restores it, repeating damage and repair on any object leads to an obvious end."
Nothing lasts forever; it breaks eventually. Glue shards of powdered wood back together, and it can never return to its pre-broken state.
In the end, mere life extension.
"You don't look gravely ill now. You walk and talk fine. No hindrance to living. So just don't use Apotheosis. You're already a seasoned knight."
"Without Apotheosis, I'm weak. What's the use of a weak knight?"
"The one who decides a person's utility is the one wearing the crown above."
"Her Highness would surely value even a dull blade, but the blade itself will desperately long for the days it was sharp."
Those who stake their lives for cherished values have always existed. Irid knew that nobility well. A shining star floated in his heart too.
He could throw his life away repeatedly for Centra. Thus, he could recognize the cracks in Sisel Yurensuto.
To peer into those cracks, Irid asked carefully.
"Why stake your life?"
Any answer would do. Wanting to see Elaine's reign even at the cost of life, purifying the eastern front as her mission, dreaming of living short but intense as a knight.
There was no reason or desire to obstruct the noble path of one firmly resolved. But.
The answer from Sisel was.
"...Because I have to."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Empty.
Not staking life for a purpose.
Clueless on where to spend it, she's just drifting on inertia. Sisel Yurensuto was a broken person at a loss.
"Tch."
Such loyalty was useless even if accepted.
Now Elaine's request read differently. The true meaning behind wanting Sisel to fail the Hero Selection Tournament.
Not "I want Sisel to retire."
"I want Sisel to live."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯."
Irid didn't know how to fix a person's heart. But he knew one loose-screw wizard who had the means.
Irid, scrambling just to survive, had found his path a century later in Crown Hall.
Elaine had changed her Apotheosis too.
With his dimensional magic. This time as well.
"Winning the Hero Selection Tournament is a tough goal. But I know... a wizard who can make it possible. Ask him for help."
"A wizard... you say?"
"Yes. He's in the Holy City right now, apparently. Sorry you came all this way, but repack your bags. We depart immediately."
We're going to the mad wizard.
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That was how it happened.