350. The Imperial Palace
350. The Imperial Palace
***
—『The broadcast has ended.』
The screen abruptly went pitch black, as if the light had died, and a single line of text appeared.
"...Huh?"
Hayoon, who had been watching Serin's stream, blinked blankly. And Soyul, who had been watching the stream with her at her house, was no exception.
The chat window, which had been scrolling so fast it made her eyes spin, also turned gray and no more messages appeared. The record-breaking viewer count of nearly 100,000 was no longer displayed.
All of it... pointed to one thing and one thing only: the stream had ended.
As Hayoon blinked blankly, Soyul spoke urgently, as if she had only just snapped back to her senses.
"Hayoon! Let's go to Plea's stream first. We have to let Plea know that Rin's stream went down!"
"R-right. Okay."
Hayoon quickly switched channels and entered Plea's stream.
And there, it seemed viewers who had the same idea as them had already flooded in. The chat window was in complete chaos.
[Wait... what's going on?]
[??????]
[Rin's stream just went down;]
[Don't tell me she's not looking at chat here either? No, she can't do that]
[Is there no manager right now? Shouldn't at least the manager be whispering her?]
[Rin's stream went down!]
[I'm losing my mind! I'm losing my mind! I'm losing my mind! I'm losing my mind!]
[What the hell, what suddenly happened?]
[Wait why did the viewers suddenly double lol;]
[Even if it's a collab, is it okay for chat to be going this crazy;]
[Her stream went down, someone needs to tell her]
[Rin's stream went downnnnnnnnnnn]
The chat was surging upward with such force it seemed the stream itself might burst.
Seeing that, Hayoon had no idea what to do. And Soyul wasn't much different. She had been the one to say they needed to tell someone, but the chat was already on fire, and the screen showed only a blonde female knight who seemed utterly unconcerned with any of it.
Plea had apparently also turned off her chat window during the raid phase. Even with the chat about to explode, Plea was strolling through the interior of a mansion, exchanging dialogue with an NPC who appeared to be a knight.
"Soyul. Wh-what do we do? Should I send a donation...?"
Hayoon asked, knowing that any chat message would just be buried, but Soyul shook her head with a flustered expression.
"...Donations are probably blocked during the raid too. I really don't know what to do... We don't even know their manager's contact info."
Soyul couldn't think of a solution either. Rin was close with Plea, but even as an editor, she wasn't close with them herself.
As the two of them fidgeted anxiously, stamping their feet—
Then, Plea's appearance inside the luxurious mansion, where she had been conversing with the knight, changed.
She excused herself to the knight who was guiding her and moved to a secluded spot. Once she reached a space with no one around, Plea looked around and then blinked as she opened her mouth.
—Serin's stream went down...? And why is chat like this...? Wait, wait, I get it, everyone. Calm down first. I don't know what happened to end Serin's stream, but I'll at least try whispering her.
As Plea spoke urgently, as if she had grasped the situation, Hayoon and Soyul felt immense relief.
"Is that her manager? It looks like someone managed to reach Plea."
"Right, Hayoon, what a relief. I thought it was going to keep going with the stream off like last time."
Just as they relaxed, thinking Serin's stream would come back on—
—Huh... something's weird. It says I can't whisper Serin?
A bolt from the blue struck the two women's ears.
—Hold on, I'll try whispering Yujeong too. If anyone can whisper Serin, it might be Yujeong.
Plea, clearly flustered, manipulated her hologram.
"Please..."
"...No way."
Hayoon and Soyul hoped desperately that good news would come from her lips.
They had been more excited than anyone about today's raid stream.
The spectacular lineup. After Plea, there was the famous Bloody Night, and there was also the special nature of a 3-person raid. They had even gathered together to watch the stream and exchange opinions about editing points.
And now, after all that anticipation, the stream suddenly cut off here...
But just as expectation leads to betrayal—
What had Plea seen on the screen? She hesitated for a moment, then smiled awkwardly.
—What do I do...? It says Yujeong can't receive whispers either. It seems like it's a stage where you can't be contacted until you clear Phase 4.
At the voice that mercilessly shattered their expectations, Hayoon and Soyul could only wear deflated expressions.
***
The moment the light enveloped Serin, she gazed at the space with anticipation, excitement, and a small worry.
The brilliant light surrounding her faded, and the background slowly revealed itself. The space that emerged was one deeply familiar to Serin, and yet...
It was a place of profound meaning.
Serin stared at the space with wide eyes, and for a moment, words failed her.
"..."
There was no way I couldn't know where this was.
A place I had entered and left countless times. A place where I had even stayed and lived for a while.
For some, it was a special place they hoped to visit at least once in their lifetime.
—The Imperial Palace.
It was none other than the interior of the Grandelia Empire's imperial palace.
The moment I saw it, I couldn't help but realize it.
Endless rows of circular pillars. The patterns lavishly embroidered on their surfaces bore the crests of the empire's nobles. Above all those crests, the imperial family's own emblem always sat, displaying the power of the throne.
That was the distinctive emblem of the Grandelia Empire.
As I turned my gaze to take in the sight, I felt as though I might be overwhelmed. The scale of the imperial palace, which I was seeing again after so long, still flaunted its overwhelming splendor.
Even as I thought that, I reached out and placed my hand on one of the round pillars.
To confirm that this was real. To feel that this was not a dream.
Swish.
Even as I touched the pillar, I couldn't bring myself to say anything.
"..."
How should I describe what I was feeling at this moment? I couldn't quite put it into words.
Surprise, confusion, longing...
Many thoughts came to mind, but I couldn't say exactly what it was.
As I was lost in that brief reverie, I belatedly noticed a hologram positioned at the edge of my vision.
*
————
This location does not support streaming.
The stream will end.
————
*
My gaze was drawn to the notification blocking my view, and my feelings grew complicated.
It was as if someone was being considerate of me. As if they were removing this situation that I had wanted to talk about but couldn't.
It was as if...
It was like giving me a legitimate excuse for the meeting to come, like setting me free.
I dismissed the hologram.
A new hologram appeared.
Ding!
*
————
You have satisfied the condition!
【Phase 4 Clear Condition: Earn the trust of the Grandelia Empire's key figures (1/3)】
————
*
"...Pfft."
The moment I saw the hologram, a laugh escaped me before I even realized it.
Even the already-cleared condition seemed to be sending me a message.
Whose trust had I earned? I didn't even need to think—one person immediately came to mind.
Among the major figures of the empire, there was someone who trusted me and followed me more than anyone else.
No, "major figure" wasn't even enough. The place where I had appeared was the imperial palace.
Among those who would be here, was there anyone who could defy her?
As long as she trusted me, even if someone else distrusted me, it couldn't compare to her trust.
I slowly pulled my hand away from the pillar and began to walk. Then I looked around and thought about which direction to go.
With the stream gone and all restrictions lifted, words naturally slipped out.
"I think... it was this way?"
I didn't remember the entire internal layout of the imperial palace. But the most important space—and the woman who held the greatest influence in the empire.
I remembered roughly where she would be.
Step.
Step.
Even as I walked lightly across the well-kept grounds of the imperial palace, I didn't hurry.
I wanted to savor this moment's feelings a little longer, and anticipation for the meeting to come swelled within me.
Step.
As I took in the scenery, I was filled with renewed emotion.
The place I had thought I could never return to had been recreated perfectly.
'I never thought I'd really be able to come back here...'
I hadn't even dreamed of it.
I had fallen from Black Ark into an unknown world and come to live under the name Han Serin.
At first, how despairing had I been? I can't go back. Everything I had achieved had been taken from me. That was what I had believed.
Then my thinking changed, and I accepted reality and went on living.
Black Ark was certainly real, but... it had been an illusion.
I had thought it was a memory that only I possessed.
Step.
Now, walking with the certainty that I was connected to that world—
Even if the woman I was about to meet was a different existence from the one I knew in the past, I believed the way she looked at me would be no different.
She was someone who had supported me in every situation, someone who had followed my will.
Swish.
I dismissed my Crescent-Moon Weight and raised my hand. Slowly smoothing down my hair, I recalled the rules of the imperial palace and adjusted myself to them.
A laugh escaped me unbidden as I looked at my own appearance anew.
It was an outfit with a bit of exposure, something I would never have worn inside the imperial palace.
Compared to what I had worn in the palace back then, my current attire was completely different.
Probably.
"She'll be pretty surprised."
As I took in the endlessly sprawling interior of the palace and walked, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head.
What should I say the moment we meet?
How should I act?
What expression would she make?
The anticipation of facing someone I thought I'd never see again. Even thoughts I wouldn't have had before came to me.
'Is this what it feels like to be glad to see someone?'
In the past, I had certainly treated them with indifference and coldness. I had rarely opened my heart, and I hadn't returned kindness with kindness.
But now I was completely different from back then. As if suppressed emotions had come alive... all sorts of feelings washed over me.
Maybe it was because I had just encountered Zernati, who had been hostile to me moments ago, that I felt so sentimental.
Step.
As I rounded a corner, I came face-to-face with a female knight.
Tall, over 170 centimeters, with a distinctive short blue bob. Her characteristically lively impression showed her bright personality.
"...!"
She startled the moment our eyes met.
But only for a moment. The female knight soon bowed her head and spoke in a restrained voice.
"...I greet the Grand Duke."