Chapter 30
“Yes, there are many legends… in Maselin.”
“Is that why you asked for the Executioners to be sent?”
There is a legend about a dragon in Maselin?
Naturally, the dragon mentioned here would refer to Arveda.
If so, there was a high chance that information about the other Executioners was also in the Maselin Kingdom.
No, even if it wasn’t in the Maselin Kingdom, the probability of Mirne knowing was 100%.
“The Empire bears the maintenance costs for the Executioners, but the actual user was Mirne, is that it.”
But then, if the Empire falls and the five Executioners go to the Maselin Kingdom.
What ultimate benefit does Mirne actually get from that?
“Does it follow the Original Novel exactly? Or does something like a Demon King or a Black Mage actually appear?”
Since the villain position that ought to appear in a fantasy setting hadn’t revealed itself yet.
Perhaps the Executioners were absolutely necessary to prepare for that.
In fact.
“E-Executioner, you say?”
“Yes, the Executioner. Didn’t you contact the Second Prince and ask him to send one? But I’m curious, just what kind of threat is the Maselin Kingdom facing that made you so desperate for support?”
Mirne’s complexion changed the moment she heard the word Executioner.
Was she genuinely failing to manage her facial expressions, or was she acting like she couldn’t?
I had many questions, but that wasn’t what needed to be resolved right now.
“…There are wicked things inside Maselin, and we are doing our best to drive them out. Also, order has not been properly established in the Western Region yet, so everyone is eyeing each other’s land.”
“So that’s why you called for the Empire’s Executioner?”
“I actually don’t know much about the existence of an Executioner. I just said we needed strong power… and His Highness the Second Prince said he would send one… That is all I heard.”
“Ah, so you don’t know about the existence of the Executioners?”
“That is correct.”
I nodded at Mirne’s words.
Honestly, this was the kind of thing where she could feign ignorance as much as she wanted if she just pretended not to know.
“The only problem is that for the Empire not to fall, I need the information Mirne knows.”
In truth, in the Original Novel, the Empire was naturally meant to fall.
And the one to succeed that Empire would be the Maselin Kingdom, the setting of the novel.
In a way, this frustration might be completely natural.
“So from now on, every time I try to get information about the Executioners, I have to pressure her like this?”
That was troublesome.
I have to keep extracting the Empire’s core information from a Kingdom that only survives if the Empire falls?
And not just anywhere, but the strongest Empire on the Continent right now?
“What a ridiculous sight this is.”
Even if it was an Empire destined to fall, the treatment itself was too much like a pushover.
Therefore.
“Should I try the experiment I did earlier again?”
I intended to retest the hypothesis I formed earlier when the Sendra Kingdom intervened.
“Right, I see. But then, looking at the flow of our conversation right now, is the engagement a rejection?”
“E-Excuse me?”
“You know, yet you avoid answering until the end. Yes, to avoid shaming me in a public setting… you’ve done well deflecting the answer so far, but.”
I really want to hear your answer, but it seems I don’t necessarily need to.
With those words, I instantly drew up my mana and checked for any presence nearby.
I definitely couldn’t feel anyone’s presence yet.
Right now, with no one to help her, what would happen if I tried to kill Mirne?
What if she actually dies? I decided to leave thoughts like that for later.
I’d try killing her first, and if she dies, I can just turn the Maselin Kingdom into a Vassal State right away and think about it then.
Muttering that inwardly, I raised the edge of my hand.
“You swallowed up the Empire’s resources like that, yet your very intention to reject the engagement is far too insolent to let slide.”
“Y-Your Royal Highness Muttering that inwardly, I raised the edge of my hand.”
“You swallowed up the Empire’s resources like that, yet your very intention to reject the engagement is far too insolent to let slide.”
“Y-His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
The moment I went to slash Mirne’s body diagonally without hesitation.
“Mirne!”
Fwoosh!
Even though I definitely hadn’t felt a presence anywhere.
Suddenly, the Saint, Balleryan the Crown Prince?”
The moment I went to slash Mirne’s body diagonally without hesitation.
“Mirne!”
Fwoosh!
Even though I definitely hadn’t felt a presence anywhere.
Suddenly, the Saint, Balleryan, popped out and grabbed my wrist.
This was truly surprising.
Due to the influence of Luminix’s Mystic Power, I should still be in a state where I could even detect Divine Power.
Balleryan really appeared as if he had dropped right out of the sky.
“S-Saint?!”
Mirne, who looked genuinely surprised, and.
“Mirne! Are you alright?!”
The Saint, Balleryan, who was still holding my hand.
“I-I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness. I happened to be passing by this area by chance… and when I saw you were here, I rushed over just in case.”
These two were treating me like some heinous villain, making a whole fuss while locking eyes with each other.
But did he not realize whose body he was keeping his hands on right now?
It seemed he actually didn’t know, so I decided to just let him know directly.
Bang!
A light motion of shaking off my hand.
With just that, the Saint stroked the arm that had been holding me with his other hand, as if he had received a massive shock.
“I don’t know what kind of disrespect this is. The Holy Kingdom is already under suspicion of participating in the Northern Rebellion, yet you even lay a hand on my body… May I assume the Holy Kingdom is looking down on the Empire?”
“T-That’s not it… It’s just that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s gesture seemed somewhat dangerous in my eyes, so I judged…”
“Even arbitrarily interpreting my intentions, does the Saint look down on the Crown Prince of the Empire?”
While pressuring the Saint, I recalled the situation just now.
“There was definitely no one there, but seeing how he appeared…”
If the Male Lead is killed without enough narrative built up, he gets replaced by someone else.
But in the case of the Female Protagonist, if she dies, it seemed no one replaces her and the story just ends.
“Is there a possibility of it resetting? The story going back to the beginning… the possibility of regression?”
As one hypothesis disappeared, various other possibilities crept up to the surface.
“…I am truly sorry. I was blind and committed a great disrespect to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. But I absolutely had no malicious intent. I am truly sorry.”
Even in the midst of that, the Saint, Balleryan, lowered his body on his own accord and began to apologize.
“I found her rejection of the engagement insolent, so I was trying to point out the dust stuck to her body. Was that such a problem?”
“No. It is entirely my mistake. I will definitely repay you. I earnestly beg you to please release your anger.”
My impression at this moment was that it was appalling.
What if the one groveling like this was the Northern Grand Duke? The Second Prince? The Grand Duke of the East?
Just imagining it was appalling.
I wouldn’t even say anything if they were engaged.
Because of the subtle communication style of a 21st Century Modern Person, they were acting like this at merely the 'talking' stage.
Of course, it didn’t matter at all right now.
“I want to maintain a friendly relationship with the Holy Kingdom, but Saint, you are truly getting on my nerves.”
“…Including today’s matter, I will provide the utmost compensation.”
“I-I am sorry as well.”
I calmly watched the man and woman in front of me diligently bowing their heads.
Honestly, from my perspective, it just felt like watching two idiots playing around.
“I think my head will hurt if I keep watching them.”
So.
“…”
I just turned my back without saying anything in particular.
I had gotten everything I needed to get.
“There is a hint about the Executioners in the Maselin Kingdom, and Mirne is trying to utilize it.”
Mirne does not die.
If she is about to die, helpers suddenly appear from her surroundings to prevent her death no matter what.
Since the Maselin Kingdom was like a nest for Mirne.
Even if I blew up the Maselin Kingdom through war, if Mirne still remained.
“She would just resurrect somewhere else… with some logic like”Maselin is not a place'…'
Since I confirmed that Mirne, the core of the Maselin Kingdom, absolutely does not die.
I felt the need to treat her like a Golden Goblin that drops money when hit.
“Then what I need to do right now is.”
I headed to my bedroom and reviewed my future plans.
But honestly, even calling it a plan, there was only one immediate top priority.
Making contact with the Saintess.
“If I just leave things as they are.”
Mirne would become the Saintess without any obstacles.
Just looking at that sentence alone, one might wonder, “Does that have anything to do with the Empire?” But.
“Because Maselin will definitely try to swallow the Empire.”
As a result, all of that was like laying the groundwork to swallow the Empire.
“I should be able to stop or hinder Mirne from becoming the Saintess.”
I had to make my own moves on this end as well.
++++++
The Empire’s grand banquet lasted for three whole days.
Perhaps because of that incident on the first day, everyone stayed at the Imperial Palace while walking on eggshells around the Empire before leaving.
“Is it true that the Empire has weakened? Its momentum hasn’t died down at all.”
“The eyes of the Knights I accidentally ran into were so fierce… I thought we were at war.”
“The momentum of The Center remains the same, but from what I know, the Northern Region and the Eastern Region are shaking significantly.”
The opinions of those who stayed and left converged into one.
The Center of the Empire was still firm, but the outside was not.
Indeed, as the rumors said, the Crown Prince had changed from his naive and weak appearance to something incredibly fierce, but.
That momentum only reached The Center; it did not extend its influence to the Northern Region and the Eastern Region.
“How long… will the Empire remain an Empire?”
The story was flowing according to the Original Story Flow.
Other kingdoms that noticed the weakened Empire were coveting it.
“Striking The Center from the beginning is nonsense. However… however, if it’s the Eastern Region, which”