Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Imperial Palace (2)
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“It might take a while to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor.”
So, we weren't meeting the Emperor today.
Well, I expected as much. That was only natural.
He was the ruler of this vast empire.
He must be so busy that his schedule would be packed tight.
It might have been different if we had notified him of our exact arrival time.
But since we hadn't, it was perfectly understandable.
“Of course, you won’t have to wait long. They’ve nearly finished preparing for the event.”
I had only taken a brief look, but the atmosphere in the capital was exceptionally good.
Everyone I saw had a bright expression, as if they were anticipating a festival.
I was suddenly reminded of what was to come.
Soon, I would reveal myself as the Hero in front of everyone.
Then, every person in the capital would know of my existence.
And as if that wasn't enough, my name would spread across the entire continent.
In other words, the pressure would be multiplied by a hundred…
I’m just a common man to the bone, so this is a problem!
Still, I would endure it.
My fame would skyrocket because of it.
And as my fame grew, so would my power as the Hero.
“Um, this isn’t certain, but… they might want to verify your skills.”
Erich finished speaking and cautiously glanced at me.
It was a situation that some might find offensive.
Right, there was that event too.
In the original story, you were given the option to face a knight from the Imperial Knight Order.
You could choose ‘No’ without consequence, but my answer was, of course, ‘Yes.’
Going through with it would increase their faith in the Hero, as well as their favorability.
I would have to put up with a little annoyance.
If things got tricky, I could just leave it to the princess.
“If that procedure is necessary, then I suppose we must accept it.”
At my words, his expression brightened slightly.
Was it because he recalled my dignified nature, unyielding in the face of anything?
His relieved expression seemed to say he knew I would respond this way.
“Well, I’ll be honest with you. There are some factions that don’t look upon you favorably. You don’t need to take it too seriously, but that’s the general mood. I’m sure you can guess why, right?”
I nodded silently.
They were wary of, and jealous of, the Crodain family’s power.
Exceptionally talented people are often the target of envy, and this was no different.
*Huh? Those guys are acting on their own?*
*What? They defeated the Demon King’s army by themselves?*
*That makes them even more annoying! They don't even give us a chance to laugh at them!*
It was probably a flow of thought something like that.
Since we handled everything so well, there was no room for them to pick a fight.
They could have quelled their complaints politically.
But letting them bark if they wanted to was probably the Crodain family’s tradition.
However, it was a matter worth considering now.
From now on, I would have continuous contact with the imperial family.
The imperial factions were largely divided into three.
The First Prince’s faction, the Second Prince’s faction, and a small neutral camp.
The neutral camp could be ignored.
But the other two were in a position where they had no choice but to watch me.
Perhaps both sides found me disagreeable?
The heir to the Crodain family—his influence was by no means small.
And now, I had even become the Hero.
It was clear they would approach me in some way.
*He seems like he'll stay neutral, but you never know, right?*
*If we lose him, we're done for. We have to win him over, no matter what!*
I could picture them attempting to win me over with that kind of thinking.
Given their tense standoff, I guessed they would be feeling impatient.
The moment I supported one side, the balance would be broken.
It might not be the deciding factor, but it would certainly have a profound impact.
In short, apart from the low favorability with the imperial family, the situation itself wasn't bad.
The ultimate tightrope walk.
I would maintain a friendly relationship while gracefully backing out when the time came.
“You can rest comfortably until His Majesty summons you. Or, I’d like to say that, but a few members of the imperial family might visit you before then. As for who they are…”
“The princes, I presume.”
“You knew?”
“Well, more or less…”
“I thought you wouldn’t be interested in such things… Anyway, that’s the situation.”
Even though I said I knew, he continued his explanation.
Huh? What’s this? He’s become an exposition-dumping NPC.
You’re a Hero candidate, you know?
Thinking that in some timeline he might have been the protagonist made me feel a little sorry for him.
“The First Prince, Ludwig, and the Second Prince, Karl… both are my elder brothers. Their personalities are complete opposites…”
I already knew everything, but the others didn't, so I should let him talk.
Though it was simply a fight between brothers, it was an imperial matter, so everyone listened with interest.
First Prince Ludwig was the brains of the operation.
In other words, he was the type to solve problems using his intellect.
He would read people’s minds and scheme to make them follow him.
On the other hand, Second Prince Karl was more of the brawn.
He was the type to train diligently, mingling with the knights.
By the Hero Academy's standards, he was a powerhouse in the upper A-rank.
But that didn't mean he was simple-minded.
The Second Prince was quite intelligent as well.
Unlike the political First Prince, he possessed military talent.
He was slated to participate in the war, showcasing his personal martial prowess and strategic insight.
“…”
That was precisely the problem.
The Second Prince, a born general, would perform brilliantly.
But a single mistake would lead to a devastating defeat, wiping out the elite of the Imperial Army.
And who would clean up the aftermath?
The protagonist, of course. The Hero had to clean up the huge mess he made.
A crisis that arrives suddenly.
The downfall of the Second Prince, who was a respectable commander.
Afterward, a process of highlighting the Hero would follow.
Yeah, I get the intention.
They were getting rid of the Second Prince to make the protagonist shine, right?
I understood that was the design, but from the perspective of someone who had to experience it, it was far from ideal.
I would have to twist the future completely.
Why should I go looking for trouble?
All I had to do was tell the Second Prince, ‘You can’t do that!’ before he messed up.
Of course, there was no guarantee it would go as I planned.
The Second Prince had a strong sense of pride, so it was highly likely he would say, ‘Yeah, I’ll handle it myself.’
In the original story, it was a forced scenario.
But in this world, I might be able to change that flow.
From now on, I would gently coax the Second Prince and tame him well.
If I build a good rapport, he’ll respect whatever I say, right?
In the end, it meant I had to work on raising his favorability, which I really didn't want to do.
“…”
No, do I really have to go that far?
Win the favor of a muscle-bound guy?
Putting my feelings aside, I didn't even know how.
Perhaps because I had only ever paid attention to girls until now.
It felt awkward to even deal with guys.
I would rather spend that time raising my little cutie's favorability even more.
I already had Aruru's trait.
It was time to raise the Elf lady's favorability, but playing with my pet was more important.
Anyway.
It seemed I had to win the Second Prince’s favor.
While I was at it, I might as well take care of the First Prince and the Emperor too.
Well, I had to raise the imperial family’s favorability anyway.
It was all the same in the end, so I had no choice.
“This is just my thought, but my brothers will want the Hero’s support. They’ll try to win you over somehow.”
“Hmm…”
“Perhaps they’ll even suggest a marriage alliance…”
“—!”
Hey! Why would you bring that up?
If I were alone, it would have gone in one ear and out the other, but the situation was bad for many reasons right now.
I instinctively looked at Ceria.
As expected, the corners of her eyes were raised sharply.
Sensing the girl’s killing intent, Erich flinched and hurriedly denied it.
“I-I’m not talking about Jace!”
“—??”
“There are two Heroes, aren’t there?”
Ah, right.
I had forgotten for a moment.
Esterize was also a Hero, so there was a chance the princes would make a move on her.
The princess tilted her head for a moment, then showed a variety of reactions.
*Me? Why me?*
*Oh, right, I’m a Hero too.*
*Hmm, that certainly makes sense.*
*Then how should I respond?*
*If I turn them down flat, won't they get angry?*
*Oh, Goddess…*
*Why do you bestow such a trial upon me?*
She looked so pitiful, agonizing over it with just that kind of feeling.
I belatedly recalled a detail related to her.
There was indeed an event where the princes approached her.
But the princess upheld her convictions, stating she would focus on her mission as the Hero.
Well, in the end, it all culminated in her rebuilding her kingdom and then forming a reverse harem.
It would probably be much the same here.
As an aside, there was a Hero candidate who ended up with a prince.
The lucky protagonist of that story was the Elf lady present here right now.
I recalled a scene where, after defeating the Demon King, she became the Empress of the Empire and indulged in all sorts of luxuries.
I didn't even need to struggle to recall the memory.
Just looking at her in reality, I could see exactly what fantasies were running through her head.
“What if one of them falls for me?”
“—??”
“Hmm, I’ll have to think about it.”
*A chance to become the Empress of the Empire?*
*No, how could I pass that up?*
*Every human will praise my beauty, right?*
*Ahh, just thinking about it is so thrilling I could die!*
Her posture, smiling like a fool, said it all.
The fact that even such a ridiculous sight was beautiful was a cheat if I ever saw one.
Ilensia suddenly stared intently at Erich.
*What do you think? Does it seem possible?*
At her gaze, Erich let out a groan with a hesitant expression.
“I can’t say it’s entirely unrealistic…”
“What’s with that vague answer!”
“…”
He looked wronged, as if to say, ‘Why are you getting angry?’.
But perhaps due to his weakness for beautiful women, he couldn't even talk back.
Let me offer my personal opinion for a moment…
I didn't care either way. I just wished for the Elf lady's happiness.
But would that fantasy of hers really come true?
The route where she ends up with a prince was a story for when she was the Hero.
Now that she wasn't the protagonist, there was no guarantee things would unfold that way.
Well, I could certainly cheer her on.
If someone tried to take my little cutie away, it would be a fight to the death.
But the Elf lady… hmm… I might even be grateful if someone took her?
“What do you think?”
She suddenly aimed her bow at me.
Somehow, I felt like she would get angry no matter what I said.
It was bound to be absurd, but my instinct to see it through took over.
“First, let me ask… Do you want to become the Empress?”
“It would be nice if I did.”
“Right. I think it would suit you well.”
“No, why would you say that?”
“—??”
“You’re supposed to look all serious and say you don’t want to lose me to another man!”
“…”
What is this? Some kind of Elven joke?
It’s too high-level for me to understand.
Why should I do that?
Can you explain it so I can understand?
When I showed that attitude, she turned her head away with a huff, as if disappointed.
Huh? Who does she think she is, acting all cute?
Aruru has a firm monopoly on that attribute!
Ignoring the arbitrarily sulking Elf lady, I snuck a glance at Ceria’s reaction.
Unexpectedly, instead of getting worked up, she was calmer than usual.
She paid no mind, as if there was no need to make an issue of it.
*Hmm, I guess I don’t need to be wary of this Elf.*
*I don’t know why, but that’s just the feeling I get.*
*Maybe we could even become close friends?*
*Ah, maybe not? It’s not that I dislike the idea, it just feels… off.*
She looked at Ilensia with that kind of expression.
It seemed she was convinced that Ilensia could never be a rival.
I found myself nodding in agreement.
Ceria’s judgment was perfectly correct, as that was indeed the case.
Before long, it was time to eat.
At the sight of the lavish feast spread out before us, my little cutie’s eyes sparkled.
Erich smiled greasily at the tail-wagging beastkin.
“Aruru, I had this prepared especially for you.”
“—!”
The girl jumped in surprise.
In an instant, her demeanor turned sharp.
*Hey, how can you say something that ruins my appetite right before a meal?*
*I don’t like it, but I’ll be generous and let it slide this one time.*
*Dealing with all this delicious-looking food comes first!*
And with that, Aruru’s gluttony flared up once more.
As if to say eating is all that matters, she was simply being true to her instincts.
Erich’s sudden move didn't continue.
From the context, it seemed he was just joking around without any special meaning.
His current target of affection was the Saintess, so my little cutie’s safety (?) was guaranteed.
After spending an uneventful day at the imperial palace…
The next morning, the man who would become the troll of the century paid us a visit.
“Nice to meet you. You’re the Hero of this generation, right? Let’s get along.”
“…”
The Second Prince, Karl, offered a greeting forthrightly.
I don’t know why, but… I hate guys who are full of fighting spirit