Chapter 74
Truthfully, I didn’t invest points simply because I saw the words Magitech Airship.
Dropping Sword Masters from a massive airship while they rained down Magic.
I was imagining such a cool picture, but the real reason was something else.
“It connects to the Great Empire.”
There was a line connected to the [ Magitech Airship ] Tech Tree.
The [ Great Empire ] existed at the end of that line.
“The Great Empire… It doesn”t just refer to its appearance in the past.'
I was certain as soon as I saw it.
The Great Empire didn’t simply mean restoring the Empire to how it looked before it was ruined.
“Does the Great Empire refer to the most radiant state in the Crown Prince”s Regression, no… does it refer to the state of the Empire that existed before Mirne transmigrated?'
The appearance of the most powerful Empire, which had grown continuously without stopping from its founding until now.
I felt that was exactly what the “Great Empire” meant.
If not, there was no reason for an airship, which couldn’t be seen at all at the current stage,
to be connected to the Great Empire.
“Since it”s the first clue that will connect to the Great Empire, I have no choice but to select it.'
So I immediately invested the points.
[ Forgotten Knowledge “Magitech Airship” appears in the Empire. ]
[ Proficiency in Magitech knowledge is currently not high within the Empire. ]
[ It will take a very long time until the Magitech Airship appears. ]
[ You must activate Magitech-related Tech Trees to increase the speed. ]
I realized I had a long way to go.
“Magitech, huh.”
Of course, I had already invested in it to some extent.
It served as the foundational knowledge for making the Magic Stone Train, and it is necessary to open advanced lectures at the Academy.
But the System Message was saying that “some extent” was absurdly lacking.
This was true, even excluding the re-establishment of truly basic things like language, education, and units.
I had poured everything else into it, yet it was still lacking.
“It really shows how high-tier the airship”s technology is.'
Still, I thought it would give me at least one as a teaser if I invested a moderate amount of points.
The System Message seemed to have absolutely no intention of allowing a free ride.
'Let’s stop worrying about this for now.'
If it were up to me, I would have liked to look into various other things.
“Pavan, are you awake?”
“…”
“Is it a side effect of regaining her memories? She seems to have fallen into a deep sleep.”
With Pavan lying unconscious, I couldn’t keep focusing my attention elsewhere while leaving her like that.
Besides, the newly appeared Male Lead was also bothering me quite a bit.
“Arveda, Luminix. You two take Pavan and get out of the underground for now. I have a few more things to Check.”
“…Your Servant, then, after safely moving Pavan, may I stick by Your Highness’s side again?”
“Y-Your Highness, I too…!”
“I don’t think I’ll need many, so let’s just have Arveda, who spoke first, join as backup later.”
“Aww!”
After confirming that the rejoicing Arveda and the sullen Luminix took Pavan away.
I examined the sleeping giants who were still reaching their hands toward the ceiling.
“How bizarre. If the Covenant was fulfilled, shouldn’t they move immediately? Shouldn’t they move like the Dragon Legion? Why are they still stiff as stone statues?”
Usually, when a Covenant is resolved, this curse-like form should naturally disappear.
For some reason, the giants were still stiffly frozen like stone statues.
even though I clearly saw light imbuing them.
“…Is there some trigger I don’t know about?”
I resolved the Covenant, but it wasn’t completely resolved? But the status window already said it was resolved.
“The possibility of an error occurring is extremely low. If so, there”s only one thing I can think of.'
I immediately directed my steps toward where Roomta was.
Roomta was the Hidden Male Lead that Giraffe Face had been guarding.
I had only glanced at him back then, but when I looked at him properly, his appearance perfectly suited the expression “looks like he”d be ridiculously good at fighting.'
“Seeing this, a Hidden Character really is a Hidden Character, huh? He looks like he could easily twist the wrist of that hastily popped-out Northern Great Warrior.”
A height that looked to be about 5 meters.
A physique that made you wonder if this was what it would feel like to build a person out of thick steel frames.
And literally pitch-black skin.
There was a faint blue light hovering around him, but the base color was ultimately black.
It was at a level where you’d believe it if someone said a lump of black iron was sculpted into the shape of a Giant.
“It seems like there’s some major connection with this guy.”
If he’s a Hidden Male Lead, he should have a major connection to the current situation.
The problem was that he was just standing there with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, like a wax figure exhibited in a museum.
He needed to show some sort of action so I could move accordingly.
“Roomta, what exactly do you know about being here all alone? And what was the reason the System was guarding you?”
I spoke, even knowing that an answer wouldn’t come back.
The very moment I spoke to him, just in case.
[ Roomta Awakens. ]
Along with the message that Roomta was awakening, his eyelids actually began to open slowly.
The expression “eyelids opening” itself was quite funny, but that was actually how it felt.
It felt like a ridiculously massive mobile fortress had been compressed down to 5 meters and was starting up.
Rather than calling him a fellow living creature, it was the sensation of facing some kind of weapon.
[ Roomta’s alignment is freedom, not obedience, so he does not immediately submit to you. ]
And the message that followed was:
[ Roomta is Enraged. ]
It was telling me to cleanly resolve the current situation with force.
[ Giant’s Will looks at you. ]
Thud!
At that moment, Roomta’s crossed arms slowly uncrossed.
“…If the Covenant has been resolved, does that mean my sister is dead?”
He spat out words that sounded despondent, then said:
“Savior of the Clan and enemy of my sister, while I express my gratitude to you… I will hold you accountable for your sins.”
He suddenly started charging right at me.
It was a battle that began without any explanation.
Instead, I thought this kind of situation was clean.
“Until now, I had to approach things in a complicated way, dealing with the System and whatnot.”
This was in a situation where even the System couldn’t properly block the Crown Prince’s power and had to Save & Load.
It was unbelievable to think he would dare stand against me, no matter if he was a Hidden Male Lead.
“How arrogant.”
Perhaps because he had just woken up from a long sleep, he didn’t seem to properly feel the difference in our strength.
So I decided to just cleanly show him.
CRASH!
I grabbed the hair of the charging Roomta and slammed him straight down onto the floor.
Immediately after, before Roomta could even try to get up, I stomped my foot down on the back of his neck.
Thud!
Perhaps because he was definitely sturdy, his neck bone didn’t break or anything.
I had purposely controlled my strength just in case that happened, too.
“From listening to you speak, it seems Pavan is your sister, but what is the reason you judged a perfectly alive person to be dead abruptly?”
“Ugh…!”
At first, Roomta didn’t even know how he was hit and tried to raise his body.
But realizing that it wouldn’t go his way, he seemed to chew over my words at the same time.
“…Pavan is alive?”
Even while struggling with all his might to raise his body, he calmly spat out a reply.
He managed to maintain his composure even while his massive 5-meter body was trembling under my foot.
It was quite funny, but I didn’t show it.
“She is perfectly alive, but if you keep up this attitude… Pavan aside, it looks like you’ll die soon.”
I let it slide exactly once when he attacked first just because he was a Hidden Male Lead, so there would be no more leniency beyond this.
In a situation where I had already killed about two Male Leads, if he continued to show a rebellious attitude here.
It would be time to find out “if a Replacement Character can appear when a Hidden Male Lead is also killed without a narrative.”
It didn’t matter whether he submitted immediately or rebelled.
If I were going to be chased around by a few Characters who appeared late, I wouldn’t have moved like this in the first place.
The very moment I was about to draw my sword while muttering those thoughts, he said,
“…I apologize. The current situation is so different from the prophecy that I panicked.”
In an instant, Roomta became a docile sheep. Of course, that didn’t mean I had any intention of removing my foot from the back of his neck.
because if he suddenly charged at me again like this, then I would have no choice but to cut his neck.
“Different from the prophecy? You mean the prophecy about the Covenant? That it wouldn’t be fulfilled?”
“That is correct. It said the Covenant would not be fulfilled… and an upright woman would appear… to save everyone.”
“Who said that?”
“…I do not remember that far. I apologize.”
It must be hard to even speak with his face pressed flat against the floor.
Roomta diligently answered my words in that state.
To the point where I wondered if there was a need for the hierarchy to be established this quickly when we had literally only exchanged one blow.
If I had to compare it, I would say it was like looking at Teo.
But at least Teo had personally witnessed me erasing an entire Magic Tower.
In Roomta’s case, it was fascinating that he was suddenly acting submissively simply because his neck was stepped on.
“…Well, that”s not what’s important right now.'
Listening to Roomta’s words, the upright woman seemed to refer to Mirne.
How on earth could Mirne enter the Empire’s underground?
Was it talking about the future 5 years from now, since it said the Covenant couldn’t possibly be fulfilled?
Bringing up various possibilities, I continued my questions.
“What do you mean by Pavan dying?”
“No matter how wise a Giant is, it is too much for an individual to receive the memories of the entire Race. That is why they always suffer from the Curse of Oblivion. Because the mind can only endure if it immediately forgets the information as soon as it recalls it.”
Listening to Roomta’s words, I recalled Pavan writing down knowledge inside her armor.
“Was this what it meant, that everything would disappear if she didn”t do that?'
While I was organizing the information I previously knew.
Roomta continued to speak.
“But if in that situation… the Covenant is fulfilled, the information recorded so far does not disappear… and the Giant who inherited the Covenant becomes a vessel, turning into an Artifact that distributes knowledge to the Giant Race.”
“So that’s why you thought Pavan was dead? Because if the Covenant was fulfilled, Pavan would naturally have died?”
“That is correct. But to think she is alive…”
Was that black Aura that tried to dwell in Pavan’s body what was trying to turn her into an Artifact?
I continued my questions to Roomta, who kept muttering as if he couldn’t believe it.
“If Pavan doesn’t die, do the giants not wake up? Is it because the knowledge hasn’t been fully distributed?”
“That is not the case. However, it seems it will take longer than originally intended.”
“So once the acquisition of knowledge is finished, all the sleeping giants will wake up in their right minds.”
“That is correct.”
Just hearing this information, it seemed to me like the story was progressing sparsely.
But the moment Mirne was introduced into this, a phenomenon occurred in which everything fit perfectly together.
“The moment the Covenant had not been inherited, the giants would have become enraged, destroyed the Empire, and then gone to Maselin.”
Up to here was public information.
But there were a few pieces of Hidden Information here.
Namely, when the Crown Prince waged a Conquest War against the Giant Race, Roomta’s existence did not appear.
He was fighting the Giant Race itself, yet Roomta, who clearly looked to have the strength of a Giant Race Chieftain, wasn’t seen?
This was somewhat suspicious.
“So that’s why he’s hidden.”
Since I couldn’t confirm it accurately, it was a story close to the level of piecing things together.
If Mirne resolved the Giant Covenant before the Covenant was broken, that would be a crucial detail.
“Does the hidden route open then?”
I had a thought that Roomta might appear as a reward for that.
If this was the case, it made sense that Roomta’s initial alignment was obedience.
If it weren’t obedience, he would have charged right in as soon as Pavan died, just like he did now.
It had to be obedience for her to converse with Roomta and understand his heart.
A Female Protagonist was comforting a Male Lead who is grieving over his sister’s death.
It was a very cliché development.
It couldn’t be helped, I understand, but I don’t think I can easily forgive you.
This is a development where Roomta speaks like this, and Mirne receives it appropriately, conversing until they become companions.
Since his alignment was obedience, Roomta would have no choice but to get along well with Mirne anyway.
“I hope that”s not it, but these things usually hit the mark.'
But Roomta is now a free body, so if I leave him like this, while I was having these thoughts, could he go straight to Mirne?
“…If I truly, truly confirm that my sister is alive, I, Roomta… will swear loyalty to you for the rest of my life.”
“Those are nice words to hear.”
He spat out exactly the words I wanted to hear.
He seems docile, so I should remove my foot for now.
So I immediately removed my foot.
As soon as I removed it, Roomta abruptly raised his body.
And at that very moment,
“Your Highness!!! I will support you immediately!!!”
With a very urgent-sounding voice, Arveda popped up next to me.
Ssssss.
Along with the motion of taking a brief, deep breath.
Fwoooooosh!
She instantly spewed a breath, striking only Roomta.
Zero-Range Dragon Breath. Honestly, I could have blocked it, but I purposely didn’t.
Because I wanted to test how sturdy the Hidden Male Lead was.
“…When I attacked you out of nowhere at first, you must have felt like this. I am truly sorry.”
No matter how hastily fired the Dragon Breath was, normally, the moment one was hit, they would have disappeared without even leaving dust behind.
Roomta, perfectly fine with only slight scorch marks on his body, bowed his head to me and apologized.
“Ho.”
“…Y-Your… No, Your Highness… Are you alright?”
Arveda’s panic was a bonus.
+++++
The Giant’s Covenant was cleanly resolved.
At the current point in time, the problems that occurred outside the Empire were also starting to be sorted out one by one.
“But recently, the kingdoms have been waging war excessively among themselves, without caring about the Empire’s gaze.”
“That is correct!”
I didn’t quite like the current state of Continental Affairs.
War among themselves or whatever! How dare they do that when the Empire is watching with its eyes wide open.
Therefore
“The Empire does not want frequent quarrels, so inevitably, I want to build the Empire’s Military Bases in each Kingdom. What do you think is the best way to do this?”
I wanted to remind all the kingdoms why the Empire was the Empire once again.