Chapter 112. Holy War (1)
Chapter 112. Holy War (1)
1
Romance Fantasy Norm 999
『Love needs no norms.』
2
Sometimes in life, you receive gifts by pure chance.
"Lady Golden Thread Plum, there is something of importance I must tell you."
"Heh, it's been a while since you called me [Lady Golden Thread Plum] instead of [Lady], butler. Every time you do, something ominous always follows. Let me try to deduce what sort of incident it is this time."
Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter, slowly lifted her teacup.
Truly an elegant bearing.
"Do I have a hidden half-sister?"
"No."
"I see. Then perhaps my mother was actually an illegitimate child born to the previous emperor, and so a measure of imperial blood flows through me as well? And thus the crown prince and I are engaged in a love that can never be?"
"No."
"Or perhaps I have both a hidden half-sister and a hidden bloodline, and I am brimming with the talent to be chosen as the protagonist of some amazing story?"
"No."
"Then what is it, you son of a bitch?"
"I am getting married soon."
"Oh-ho. Marriage, is it. Marriage, you say. Marriage......."
Pffft!
Lady Golden Thread Plum sprayed the tea she had been drinking. Mostly onto my face.
There was not a trace of elegance to be found anywhere.
"Marriage?"
"Yes."
"Marrriaaage?"
"That is correct."
"If this is a joke, it is a terribly vulgar one, butler! Would you like to get beaten by me for the first time in a while?"
"It is not a joke."
I wiped my face with a handkerchief.
"Why would I ever joke about something like this with you, my lady? I truly am getting married. Trying to stop me will be of no use. The wedding date has already been set for one month from now."
"Wh-wh-who is the other party?"
"Lady Silver Lily."
"Ah, what. So it was a lie after all."
Lady Golden Thread Plum let out a sigh.
A relieved face. It was an expression that said even if the world were ending, there was no possibility of Raviel and me getting married. Well, sure, that was the normal reaction.
"You think it's a lie?"
"Yes. Not just a lie, but a complete load of bullshit. If you're trying to deceive me, please fabricate something a bit more plausible. I'll give you a failing grade in the creativity department."
"If it were true, would you grant permission for my marriage?"
"Ahaha. Yes, yes. I'd gladly grant it, butler. If it were true, that is. In fact, my personal attendant forming a betrothal with the noblest house in the empire? That's a huge gain for me personally, you know? Our family's standing would jump six steps in an instant, you know?"
"Please place your seal here."
"Huh?"
I held out the documents I had prepared in advance.
"What is this, butler?"
"This is a document stating that, should I marry Raviel Ivansia, you, as my original master, grant permission for this marriage. I shall leave the shadow of Lady Golden Thread Plum and become the consort of the Ivansia household."
"Pfft!"
Lady Golden Thread Plum clutched her stomach and laughed.
"Th-the consort of the Ivansia household... pffhehe! What is that? A joke? A gag? Is our butler saying he'll be called [Duchess Ivansia] or something? Just imagining it is fucking hilarious. It would be more plausible for me to become the empress of the empire."
Lady Golden Thread Plum, who had been laughing like that, flashed a smile of a different quality.
"Well, though that is exactly what will happen this time."
Hm.
I recalled the summary I had read before entering this Apocalypse.
'Second-run female lead.'
I recalled many things—the identity of Lady Golden Thread Plum, which I could now roughly guess, the Heretic Questioner who had not yet possessed her, and so on.
And I set all of that aside for a moment and spoke.
"Will you stamp it?"
Lady Golden Thread Plum clutched her stomach and laughed again.
"Oh, gladly. This just adds to your embarrassing past, butler. As a generous master, I can't turn away from comedy gold like this."
"Thank you. Then tomorrow I shall summon the person who will become my lord husband."
"Yes, yes. Duchess Ivansia. The second-brightest moon of the empire. Please do enjoy frolicking with your imaginary lord husband."
The next day.
I stood before Lady Golden Thread Plum together with Raviel.
"I have brought her, my lady."
"......."
Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter, let her mouth fall wide open.
"You may already know, but I shall introduce myself once more."
Raviel spoke as she unfurled her fan.
"I am the legitimate daughter and heir of the Ivansia Ducal House, Raviel Ivansia. His Majesty the Emperor has bestowed upon me the title of Silver Lily."
"Oh? Ah, yes, of course I know, my lady......?"
"On this joyous occasion, I have entered into a betrothal with your butler. The butler is a person whose status is bound to you. Had you not granted permission, the marriage would have become difficult, yet you granted it willingly. Thank you."
"Y-yes......?"
"This is a wedding invitation."
Raviel flicked the letter with a snap. Its border was adorned with silver thread. At the very center of the letter, a red wax seal had been stamped with the ducal house's crest. Lady Golden Thread Plum accepted the letter with a dazed face.
"Rejoice. You are the first person to receive an invitation. I would like you to consider it a tremendous honor. Hm, this is a modest gift to you, who has looked after my butler until now."
"B-butler......? This is a joke right now, isn't it......?"
"How rude. As of today, this man is not your butler but my betrothed. Surely you do not think the standing of the Ivansia house is lower than your barony. From now on, treat my betrothed with proper courtesy."
"D-du-du-duchess......?"
Lady Golden Thread Plum stared at me with a face that had lost the world. Her gaze was desperate. Eyes pleading for me to deny the title she had just spoken.
I bowed politely.
"It has been a true honor serving you, my lady."
"......."
"But from now on, call me madam. Respectfully."
"......."
"Shall we go, Raviel?"
"Hoh, I told you to call me lord husband when others are watching."
"Ah, my apologies, lord husband. The title hasn't settled on my tongue yet......."
"My consort is truly impish. I love that about you as well."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
We left side by side.
A moment later, a faint scream rang out from behind us.
"What is thiiiiis......!"
Spring, when the magnolias were falling.
The wedding was approaching.
3
My lover, Raviel Ivansia, is a person who does what she says she will do.
If Raviel says she will hold a wedding within one month, then the wedding truly takes place within one month.
"I have confined Father to the villa."
Raviel said it calmly, as if it were nothing.
"There are still those in the family who follow Father, but they are a mere minority. A level that can be ignored. I have negotiated with His Majesty and received formal recognition of my succession, so I am already no different from the Duchess of Ivansia. From now on, I shall be called not the Lady Silver Lily, but Duchess Silver Lily."
"Uh......."
My father-in-law had suddenly been confined.
'Is this really okay?'
As I was feeling a vague sense of immorality toward a father-in-law I had never once met, Raviel looked at me.
"You are now, in name and reality, the betrothed of the Duchess of Ivansia. You have become the master of the house with the highest standing after the imperial family."
"......."
"Aside from His Majesty the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince, there is no one to whom you must bow your head first. At least, not in this empire. Regardless of rank, all citizens of the empire must bow their heads to you. Wherever the imperial family does not reside, you shall rightly receive the most exalted treatment."
Raviel was serious.
Only after hearing her words did I feel that [something enormous] was happening.
Until now, I had approached the wedding simply out of love for Raviel. That love was sweet. It was romantic. But to Raviel, marriage was something beyond romance.
Sensing the enormous reality of that something, I spoke.
"Still, I am nothing more than a commoner......."
"Of course the riffraff of high society will whisper. Gong-ja, to you, your origins are like the hem of an inconvenient dress—they will follow you wherever you go. But I have finished taking the fullest possible measures."
Measures.
"What measures?"
"First, you will be registered as the adopted son of the imperial head steward."
Raviel handed me a document.
"The current head steward is a senior official who has long served the imperial household. He has even received a noble title, and his private life is clean, so his honor is lofty. Above all, he has no children. You will become this old head steward's adopted son and raise your status by one step."
Good heavens.
No, truly, good heavens.
"I-is that allowed?"
"It is allowed. If I wish it."
Even now, Raviel was processing a mountain of documents. Swish! Raviel's quill moved ceaselessly. What those documents were, what sort of political repercussions they would cause—I could not even begin to guess.
"All troublesome procedures have been omitted. Just sign that document. Then you will be recognized as the adopted son of the imperial head steward."
"......."
Indeed.
Marriage was reality.
A father-in-law I had never once met was confined. I became the adopted son of someone I had also never once met. Something was happening in places I did not know.
As I signed the adoption papers, I finally realized, albeit belatedly.
How tremendous a thing it was [to become the husband of the Duchess of Ivansia].
That was starkly proven by the sight I faced a few days later.
"I offer my greetings to the one who shall become the second-brightest moon of the empire."
Even just walking through the academy for a moment, the young lords and ladies who recognized me bent their knees. They were exceedingly courteous. Before I knew it, the rumors had spread through the academy as well.
"I pay my respects to the master of Ivansia."
"Ah. Yes......."
"Congratulations on your betrothal. May Ivansia enjoy eternal glory."
"Th-thank you."
Merely walking nearby made the young lords and ladies stop their chatter. They ceased what they were doing. And they remained silent, observing decorum, until I passed. The academy guards and knights also saluted me respectfully when they saw me.
There were no exceptions.
Even the academy's teachers bowed as if it were only natural.
"......."
When I had risen to rank 3 in the Tower, when I had suddenly become a popular star and been surrounded by crowds—even then, I had never felt anything like this.
'This is class.'
Not a popular star. Not a celebrity. They did not surround me, nor did they raise their smartphones to photograph my face.
They merely knelt.
'...Incredible.'
People would probably only act like that in front of me.
The moment I disappeared, all sorts of filthy rumors and shabby gossip would circulate—about my lowly origins, about the inexplicably broken engagement between the crown prince and Raviel.
But no one dared whisper in front of me.
"Eek!"
Crash!
One day, a servant belonging to the academy dropped a water bottle while moving it. I happened to be passing nearby. I was about to casually say [Are you all right?], but at that moment, six servants in the vicinity all knelt as one.
"W-we beg your pardon!"
"We have committed a sin worthy of death!"
"Please. It was a mistake made by a foolish one, so please grant forgiveness......!"
I was at a loss for words.
It wasn't that I was dumbfounded for any other reason.
The fact that they sought my forgiveness as if it were only natural. The fact that I possessed [the right to forgive] them paralyzed my thoughts.
In other words, it was also my freedom to not forgive them and punish them instead.
"......."
This was insane.
This was a crazy thing.
-Why are you acting like that? This is only natural.
The guardian spirit said, swimming lazily through the air.
-It's your Tower that's strange, having no status or class even in name. Didn't you know? You'll find out once you climb to the 50th floor—most Towers are class societies.
So from the 50th floor onward, we would begin competing with Towers from other worlds in earnest, was it?
The guardian spirit picked his ear with his pinky and blew.
-That Ivansia house or whatever your lord husband belongs to is said to be the second most powerful after the imperial family here. So, zombie, you're basically no different from having become a queen consort.
Queen consort.
-Congratulations on becoming Cinderella, you brat.
The servants lay prostrate in the corridor, their shoulders trembling.
Suddenly, Raviel's words came to mind.
『All citizens of the empire must bless you.』
『My world and my nation must rightly acknowledge my marriage.』
So that was what she had meant.
In just a few days, I had climbed to the top of the pyramid.
I had risen to the pinnacle of power.
'So this... is Raviel's world.'
If so.
'How should I conduct myself?'
Not as a mere [Kim Gong-ja].
Not as the hunter with an alias, [Death King].
But as the [spouse] of the noblest aristocrat in this country.
"......."
I bent down.
And I picked up the shards of the broken water bottle.
Quietly, I placed a shard into the palm of the servant who had made the mistake.
"Make that piece into a necklace and wear it."
I spoke.
"A necklace is the ornament closest to the heart. Keep your mistake at the place closest to your heart, and reflect on and repent of your error yourself."
"......."
"Do not wait for me to forgive you. When you have thought it over yourself and feel it is enough, forgive yourself. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes......!"
I turned my back and walked away.
On the evening of the day this happened, Raviel said,
"My consort showed a thoughtful response."
I was cutting meat with a knife and fork. I was learning table manners over dinner. Raviel deliberately moved her hands slowly across from me so that I could watch and learn sufficiently.
"Oh. Um. Did I do well?"
"It was beyond excellent. If my consort had easily forgiven them at that moment, people would have said, [As expected of someone of lowly birth, he is not strict with his inferiors. How could he lead a ducal house with such an attitude?]. If my consort had sternly rebuked them, the rumor would have spread that [Like a person who rose to prominence overnight, he is already getting above himself]."
Either way, it was a loss.
"Whether my consort forgave them or scolded them, people would have spoken ill of my consort. At times like this, the essence of the incident is not important. The packaging is important. My consort wisely packaged this incident by creating a heartwarming tale."
Raviel smiled.
"What happened today has already spread throughout the empire's social circles. Those driven purely by curiosity will admire my consort's character, and those with sharp minds will acknowledge my consort's wisdom. I thought you were ignorant of politics. What magic did my lover work?"
"...I simply thought of you, Raviel."
My knife split the egg yolk.
The color of a young chick crumbled.
"I realized that Raviel has been running around tremendously in places I cannot see. In places I do not know."
"Mm."
"When I thought about how hard you must be working for my sake, I naturally came to think of you as well."
I had simply thought from Raviel's perspective.
『How should I conduct myself to be best for my wife?』
"If I forgave the servant, I would have been accepted as a magnanimous duchess. If I scolded the servant, I would have become a strict duchess. But I thought that the perception of being a [wise consort] would help Raviel the most."
"Why is that?"
"Just because I act magnanimously doesn't mean Raviel becomes magnanimous. Just because I act strictly doesn't mean Raviel becomes strict."
The candle on the table flickered.
"But if I am wise, then Raviel becomes wise along with me. Because having chosen a [wise spouse] itself means that Raviel is wise."
"......."
Raviel dabbed her lips with a white napkin.
"You thought of me."
"Yes."
"Gong-ja, you have already helped me. The world may not know it, but you saved this world from the crisis of destruction. And you will continue to save it. Would it not be all right for you to act a little selfishly?"
"No."
I shook my head firmly.
"I am going to spend my whole life with Raviel. My whole life. I don't want to obsess over [what I have done for Raviel]. I don't even want to think about it. I want to give Raviel more than what I have given so far, and things more precious."
"......."
"I hope meeting me was the greatest fortune in Raviel's life. I hope being with me is the greatest happiness for Raviel. I want only me to hold the greatest meaning for Raviel."
"...It is not fortune or happiness."
Raviel rose from the table.
She slowly walked over to me and bent down.
"You are a miracle to me."
Our lips met.
* * *
Of course, not everyone submitted to the name of Ivansia.
"I! Oppose! This marriage!"
Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter, came to me every single day to complain. With the crown prince having been summoned by the emperor, Golden Thread Plum apparently couldn't bring herself to confront Raviel directly, so she protested only to me.
"Didn't you already stamp the document?"
"It's invalid, invalid! I stamped it because I thought it was a joke!"
"Regardless of what you thought, my lady, the document is legally perfect."
"Ugh... uuugh!"
Lady Golden Thread Plum gnawed at her fingertips.
"This is strange. It's strange. Nothing like this happened last time... Is this a butterfly effect caused by me? No, it's too much to see it that way... Aah, Ox that Harvests Ruins, what in the world is this......?"
Ox that Harvests Ruins.
I deliberately tilted my head as if hearing that keyword for the first time.
"What do you mean?"
"...It's nothing!"
Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter, clenched her teeth.
"Fine. This is obviously something the Lady Silver Lily schemed up anyway!"
"It is Lady Silver Lily. She will soon become a duchess. Show proper respect."
"Tch. Butler, I really hate you! I will never forgive you!"
Golden Thread Plum glared at me and left the room. Slam! The door closed roughly, making the hinges creak. It was an open declaration that she would not stand by and watch this marriage happen. Lady Golden Thread Plum, the baron's daughter, would probably be the greatest obstacle to this wedding.
But I was not worried in the slightest.
On the day the wedding was ten days away.
"Death King!"
Someone dressed as Lady Golden Thread Plum flung the door wide open.
"I-I think I have ended up becoming the female lead of this Apocalypse!"
I smiled, seated in my chair.
"Heretic Questioner."
"Yes! Death King!"
"In ten days, Constellations from another world will invade."
I spoke to the comrade who had gone from being the greatest obstacle to the greatest ally.
"Please prepare for a holy war, SSS-class religious person."