Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Recap-8
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"I said, 'Seek the Hero's permission and win her heart.'"
Even in the Emperor's stern voice, his aged frailty was all too clear.
Time silently burrows into even the strongest and kindest of men, inexorably guiding them toward their appointed end.
"Can't we just get married somehow?"
"No."
Elenor bit her lip hard, offering the fiercest resistance she could muster.
"It's not wise to go against his wishes. You need to understand how much patience he's shown, how much he's sacrificed for your sake."
"That wasn't sacrifice. It was an escape."
"I used to confuse the two myself sometimes. But not anymore. He never owed any duty from the start. And now that the Demon King is dead, even less so."
Elenor recalled the days when she'd charged into hordes of monsters to claim victories, felling demonic beasts larger than mountains. No matter how she thought about it, she had no reason to be reproached.
"So, what should I do now?"
"As commanded. Win his heart."
"...Understood."
She couldn't comprehend a word of what the Emperor said, but not every order had to make sense.
Even if it stemmed from something trivial like sentiment or human compassion, the Emperor's command was the empire's command.
As the most loyal knight, she had to obey, no matter how unreasonable.
"As you say, I won't resort to any coercive measures. I won't obsess over marriage or force his return."
If the goal was solely the Hero's bloodline, there were better ways.
/////
"So noisy..."
Ever since those incidents, she'd stubbornly refused the maid's invitations to go outside.
I understood she meant well in trying to get me out. And it wasn't a lie that the greatest threat, the Archer, was now locked in the underground dungeon.
But time was running critically short now. I couldn't afford any more variables.
"You all did well blocking Nerwen's path. But you know you failed in the end, don't you?"
The maid was hounding the dejected guards, steeling their resolve.
"From now on, no one gets past you into this room. No matter who it is."
I could guess why she was angry, but if possible, I wished she'd go easy on them. Her scolding was so loud it echoed from the hallway into my room, and I didn't want to see anyone else get hurt.
Rather than yelling at her to be quiet, it might be better to call her in here. For whatever reason, she seemed fond of me.
But soon, an even louder commotion erupted from the hallway than her berating the guards.
"Absolutely not! Even if the Princess commands it, what's not allowed stays not allowed!"
"This is my father's palace and my father's command. Is there any place in this palace I shouldn't enter?"
It was the Hero's voice, grating on my nerves just to hear. I quietly closed my book; there was no way I could keep reading through that.
"Then I'll go speak to His Majesty the Emperor himself! If it's an official order, at least bring a written decree!"
The maid's shrill voice was blocking the Princess's entry.
I'd half-given up on the Princess showing up here, of all people.
"Does this woman have no intention of hiding at all..."
"It was a verbal order! His Majesty is already advanced in years. You think I'd bother him with something this trivial?"
"The Baron is exhausted too. We won't let you in recklessly!"
A sigh escaped me naturally, but the Princess wasn't one to give up easily on what she wanted.
The maid's stubbornness was formidable too, so if I left them be, they'd probably bicker loudly out there for hours.
I forced my creaking body upright and staggered to the door.
"What is it."
The Princess standing at the door wasn't in her usual knight's attire.
It was a white dress adorned with dangling jewels. As if to prove she rarely wore such things, she looked awkward and clumsy in it.
"Baron?"
"State your business quickly and leave."
"I'll talk inside. Dismiss the others."
She couldn't harm me in the first place. Letting her into my room freely was uncomfortable, but if it got her away from me even a second sooner, that would suffice.
Once inside my room, Elenor spoke to me with her usual emotionless expression.
"What do you think? Am I alluring?"
"Please ask your maids or other knights that nonsense. It's none of my concern."
"I see."
A brief silence fell.
"I already told His Majesty the Emperor about the marriage issue. Give it up already."
"It's an order. I apologize for any coercion I subjected you to in the process. As for your return, that's something His Majesty promised. It's not for me to meddle in arbitrarily. I'm sorry."
The Hero bowed her head for a moment, but she hadn't even gotten to the main point yet.
"I must marry you to secure the Hero's blessing for the imperial family. But your return is absolute. I can't break that."
"What are you trying to say."
"Does my body hold no appeal as a woman?"
"..."
Objectively speaking, she was beautiful. Lustrous black hair, innate features, a body honed by endless training, an air of refined elegance.
But my hatred overshadowed it all.
"Not right now."
"If you forget our past entirely and just see me as one woman who entered your room?"
"...I'd rather not admit that myself."
"That's a yes. Good. Then forget everything you said before. No need to worry about marriage or duty."
The Hero took a deep breath and undid one button.
"Do whatever you want, but please leave my room."
"We don't need some marriage ceremony to bind us. If the blessing passes through bloodline, there's no need for your body to linger. Just give me your seed."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
As a woman, the Princess's value was high. But the very idea of mingling with her repulsed me.
"Up to now... have you done this sort of thing often?"
The Hero had considerable pride, if not quite as much as the Archer. Mocking her like this from my position of disdain would wound that pride deeply.
"This body is still a virgin's. It should be more than enough for you to trample and satisfy your desire to dominate."
But she seemed to take my words as mere judgment of her worth, brushing them off lightly as she undid more buttons.
"Don't you find it disgusting? Selling your body to a man like this, doing something even a whore wouldn't?"
"Disgusting?"
She shrugged off the dress lightly. Frilly, provocative lingerie barely covered her breasts and groin.
"There's no way I'd feel disgust toward fulfilling my duty for the empire!"
The breasts hidden beneath her armor now revealed their shape. Her figure was refreshingly perfect; no beauty could surpass her.
But through my eyes, not an objective gaze, she was just a repulsive monster.
"Even now, the empire's intelligence agents endure far more disgusting, uglier things, shirking duty, treating law and morality like rags, fawning over decrepit old men."
Yet her gaze was unyieldingly firm, chilling to the bone.
"They do it for the empire's peace, for His Majesty! To uncover even a single word, a single clue. You think I'd ever see them as disgusting, even for a moment? That I wouldn't wield my sword for them?"
"...Of course not."
"Whore-like? I preserved my purity for the empire, for some future political marriage where it would be needed. There's no reason not to offer what I've kept for the empire back to the empire."
It was an ill-fitting declaration for a woman in such risqué lingerie, but her voice rang with sincerity.
"If it means fulfilling my responsibility, obeying His Majesty's command, I can do even more."
"...His Majesty seemed to consider me as a potential next Emperor. What about that?"
She hesitated briefly, but not for long.
"If His Majesty commands it, I obey. If you become the new Emperor... I don't think you qualify, but even so, I'd fulfill my duty. As captain of the Platinum Knight Order, I'd serve the new Emperor's will."
"That's a shame. I heard your resolve loud and clear, but I have no intention of embracing you."
"Why? It won't hinder your return to your original world."
"For one thing, I'm not returning because I like that world. I'm fleeing this one. And among everything I hate here, you're at the top."
I stared straight at her, eyes wide open.
"No desire to ravage me?"
"Not really. Just disappear from my sight."
The Princess clamped her mouth shut and dressed again, fumbling with the fabric.
"Even with an expert's help, is this the value of me as a woman... I understand. I won't bother you again until His Majesty's next command comes down."
"I won't trouble you either. Leave now, and you won't have to come back."
Fully dressed, the Princess opened the door and brushed past me as she left, murmuring,
"You're dense. I've never once suffered because of the likes of you."