Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Banquet Hall - 2
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I immediately asked the Eye of Omniscience to reveal the secret between Bellosian and Adin Press.
There was no way Kaild had the ability to absorb someone else's fame. If he did, he would've taken mine long ago.
Adin wouldn't have volunteered to hand over his fame to Kaild, so the only possibility left was Bellosian's machinations.
[The Eye of Omniscience has been activated.]
[The current level of the Eye of Omniscience is 5. Secrets up to S-rank can be viewed.]
[The selected query is 'The secret between Bellosian and Adin Press.']
[This secret is S-rank. Proceeding with viewing.]
As expected, it was an S-rank secret.
I could see a secret that I wouldn't have been able to access before.
I felt some inexplicable relief at first, but by the end of the video in the screen, all that was left was emptiness.
"Your power? No, if that's the case, why not just kill Maide yourself instead of using me?"
"I still can't leave the special chamber. And nowadays, even outside it, I can't beat Maide anymore."
"Then?"
"Come to the special chamber with me. I'll share some of my power with you there."
Thud.
With that, the screen showing Bellosian and Kaild's conversation vanished.
Time returned to normal.
I turned to my companions.
"It was Bellosian's doing."
"Huh? Oh, you used the Eye of Omniscience."
"Yeah."
"But what do you mean it was Bellosian's doing?"
I let out a light sigh.
"He killed Adin. Ironically, Mime's request was granted by Bellosian of all people."
"……!"
"Bellosian killed Adin and transferred his fame to Kaild."
"W-Wait. Is that even possible?"
"Yeah. He can't raise or lower people's fame. But he can transfer it to someone else—by killing the target."
And even more importantly...
"A long time ago, he transferred Impellium's fame to Adin the same way."
"……!"
"And Bellosian..."
I swallowed once here.
"Was the Demon King of Lies and Deceit from that era."
"……!"
"That's everything I found out."
"So Idria is... like Bellosian's successor?"
"More like his daughter. Though they're obviously not on good terms."
My previous meddling was probably still working.
Silence hung over the room for a moment.
A while later, Risel spoke up.
"Where's Kaild right now?"
"Bellosian took him, it seems."
"Oh, then?"
"Yeah. The door beneath the imperial palace. Specifically, in the special chamber with Bellosian and Kaild."
I crossed my arms.
"Let's sum it up. There are three threats to humanity right now."
"Kaild, Bellosian, Idria."
"Yeah. We need to deal with these three. Well, if we include the Fingers of Deceit, it's more, but... let's lump them in with Idria for now. We need to decide something here."
Offense picked up my words.
"The order."
"Right. Which one do we take out first? What's the sequence that's most advantageous for us?"
My companions each fell into thought.
That was when it happened.
Knock knock.
A knock came, followed by a voice from outside the door.
"Hero. And esteemed heroes. I am Salt, captain of Alcahad."
"Alcahad?"
They must've appointed a new captain after Patrick's Black Sun incident.
While we've been busy, it seems the empire's had its share of events too.
"Could you open the door for a moment?"
I never imagined I'd hear such extreme honorifics from an Alcahad captain back when I was just a mercenary.
I stood and opened the door.
Outside stood not just Captain Salt, but a group of well-trained members standing in respectful postures.
"What is it?"
Salt bowed deeply, as if he couldn't dare meet my eyes.
[An Alcahad captain wouldn't bow that low even to the emperor.]
'I've literally gained divine-level fame this time. To people, I must seem like some godly being.'
[Heh. Must be nice.]
'No. Not at all.'
Frankly, it was a bit unsettling.
Trail seemed puzzled, but I didn't explain and spoke to Salt instead.
"Please raise your head."
"Hero. On behalf of everyone living in this era, I offer you our thanks."
"Ah, sure. Whatever."
"His Majesty the Emperor wishes to receive you all. May we impose upon your precious time?"
What the hell is this nonsense?
Neril cut in.
"Receive us? Even if Maide's done well, isn't that word choice a bit much?"
"It is a term His Majesty chose himself."
"……."
"And if I may add my personal opinion, it's lamentable that I can't find a better one."
"……."
"We wouldn't dare impose the rudeness of going right now. It's already evening, so we humbly request your presence 'should you feel inclined.' His Majesty will await you at 10 a.m. tomorrow."
"……."
"Rest well."
He bowed once more in greeting.
Then, as if withdrawing from the throne room, he backed away several steps before leaving.
Creak. Click.
I closed the door and turned back to everyone.
They all wore awkward smiles.
Adwin spoke.
"It really was a big deal this time, huh? Must be the majesty of 1.2 million fame."
"You're no slouches either."
"Huh?"
"Hang on."
I asked Trail to show me my companions' fame levels.
[Neril Slaine Cumulative Fame: 727,160]
[Jenia Side Cumulative Fame: 714,390]
[Adwin Ain Cumulative Fame: 708,500]
[Offense Daik Cumulative Fame: 690,970]
[Risel Vaint Cumulative Fame: 689,400]
[Serein Magnus Cumulative Fame: 676,880]
As expected.
They'd all nearly doubled.
I shared each of their fame levels.
Serein clutched her head.
"I'm last again!"
"If you're upset, you should've joined sooner. Even just showing up for the Tetra earthquake would've put you ahead of where you are now."
"I've been regretting it since way back, so don't poke at the sore spot."
"Anyway, it's good news. Once we break the Branch of Corruption, we can use this fame too."
Neril leaned back in her chair.
"Even casting Dor Askarne across the entire continent only took 300,000 fame. Now we've got double that. It'll help a lot."
I probed lightly.
"You're not looking that thrilled, though."
"......I'm happy we can support you even more. But."
She trailed off.
Jenia took up the baton.
"It's that Alcahad captain's attitude earlier."
"Too polite?"
"Startlingly so."
"……."
"Was Adin the type to enjoy that kind of deference? Guy's tastes were impossible to figure."
Yeah.
Including me, my party was feeling burdened by our skyrocketing fame and the way people treated us accordingly.
And I liked that perception a lot.
[What's to like?]
'You once said fame is like a drug—if you're not careful, it'll sweep you away completely.'
[Did I?]
'You hit the nail on the head unconsciously. Get swept away like that, and you end up like Adin or Kaild.'
But seeing their reactions now, my party members had no risk of that.
It warmed my heart somehow.
Neril frowned at my pleased smile.
"You're smiling now? We haven't concluded our earlier discussion."
"Let's rest one more day."
"What?"
"We'll meet the emperor tomorrow and talk it over calmly. No point racking our brains more tonight."
"Hmm. You seem in a good mood."
"Yeah. A great mood."
I continued in a soft voice.
"I'm really happy you guys are my party members."
That night.
An unexpectedly grand party was held.
In a dream.
I blinked and looked around.
My party members were there.
They all had the same bewildered expressions as me.
Trail was even standing there, just like last time.
Neril was first to rub her forehead.
"No. Even if it's a dream, this is too much."
"What's that?"
"......Look, since it's a dream, I'll be blunt. I do want to be with you 24/7."
"……."
"But having it play out so vividly even in dreams? It's embarrassing."
Neril seemed to know it was a dream.
Well, it was a dream, but not quite like the normal kind we define.
She grumbled on.
"And if you're gonna show up, just you is fine. Why drag everyone else into it?"
"Neril."
"Then we can't... you know."
"Hey."
"Maybe since it's a dream, it doesn't matter? No, still no. Not my thing."
"This feels like Impellium's doing. Like last time."
Neril froze stiff.
She turned her head in jerky motions.
Everyone was grinning mischievously.
"To think Neril would spout nonsense like that. You've changed so much since we first met."
"But it's a bit unseemly. Act your age."
"What's that supposed to mean? What?"
"Someone give us back our Adwin. From his pure days."
"Too late. No turning back now. Right, Mr. Trail?"
"Yup! Totally!"
"You scared me."
It was that kind of banter.
Neril's face flushed like it might explode.
She waved her hands frantically in defense.
"N-No way. This isn't that room from last time."
"……."
"Plus, look—there's a table, and the plates are full of food. Can't blame me for getting confused."
"No one's saying anything, so calm down."
"Yeah. Calm yourself."
The last line was Impellium's voice.
We turned toward the sound.
He was dressed a bit differently from last time.
What was it—like formal attire for nobles attending a banquet? That vibe.
"Impellium. Where are we?"
"The banquet hall in my house."
"What?"
"No need to be so shocked. If I can invite you to my room, what's a banquet hall?"
"……."
"You all did something huge this time. You worked hard and achieved great results. I'm throwing this to celebrate."
He casually pulled out a chair.
"Everyone, sit. Eat up. I guarantee the taste."
Scrape.
We sat down for now.
Serein teased.
"Eh, can you guarantee the taste for us, used to Risel's cooking?"
Risel humbly interjected.
"Oh, don't say that. I'm still a long way off."
"But Risel's smirking."
"Am not? There are tons of better cooks than me out there."
While they chattered, I picked up a spoon.
I'd drunk Impellium's black tea last time, so it was probably fine, but just in case, I took a sip of soup first.
My eyes went wide.
Risel eyed my reaction.
"Huh? What's with that face?"
"This is incredible."
"Better than me?"
"......No. Not quite."
"That pause earlier bugs me."
"You said yourself there are better cooks than you."
"That was just politeness. No way."
Anyway, everyone tasted their dishes.
Soon, they all looked impressed.
That was when.
"Impellium. Everyone's here?"
"Yeah. Come on in."
Impellium stood.
He smoothly pulled out the chair beside him.
The newcomer smiled gratefully at Impellium.
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
"Heehee."
"Grab a bite. They're losing their minds over your cooking."
Clink.
Risel dropped her spoon as her grip slackened.
"D-Did you make this? Could you share the recipe, maybe?"
"Got a more important question first."
"Huh? More important than the recipe?"
"Your name."
"......Oh."
"Impellium. Introduce me?"
I had a rough guess.
But the woman spoke first.
"I'm Serad. Impellium's wife here."
"……."
"And his former party member."
As I thought.
I said to Impellium.
"You really were the hero. The one who fought the Demon King of Lies and Deceit, Bellosian."
"Yeah."
He dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
I took a light deep breath and asked again.
"Could you tell us the details from back then?"