Chapter 82
It was a strange day.
['Why is my body so stiff?']
I always woke up in the best condition.
But for some reason, my body felt heavy today.
“…Undine, could you take a look at my body?”
Bubble bubble.
As soon as Undine heard Mirne’s words, she naturally dwelled within Mirne’s body.
And in this process, Mirne felt a sense of emptiness.
A sense of déjà vu that originally, she hadn’t had just one Spirit, but more besides Undine.
It was a moment that made her wonder if she had felt this way before.
['Is it just my imagination…? No, that can’t be. This is a clear anomaly.']
An unpleasant déjà vu.
Mirne tried to find the source of this feeling, and suddenly, a single person came to mind.
“Your Excellency, Bellon.”
She couldn’t specifically explain why he came to mind.
But she vaguely felt that she absolutely shouldn’t leave him out in this situation.
“In the first place, it makes no sense that I suddenly only have one Spirit now.”
Although the current situation and the original plot development were heavily twisted, that only applied to the story from the early-mid stages onward.
The very beginning, the development starting from her childhood, was a situation that matched the original story 100%.
['I clearly remember making provisional contracts with four Spirits in my childhood, and then I rashly confronted His Excellency and had Silphiner taken away…']
She definitely remembered having Silphiner taken away. But even so, three Spirits should have remained.
But right now, there was only one.
['Pyron is…? Wait a minute, come to think of it, why isn’t Pyron here?']
Various questions arose.
When she searched her memories, there was exactly one memory of having a Spirit taken away.
If that were the case, three Spirits should be left, but the only one present was Undine right now.
['I had a Spirit taken away… in a moment I can’t remember? I lost one?']
The situation where she presumably had a Spirit taken away when no memory existed, and His Excellency who continued to make his presence felt in her head.
Mirne concluded that this situation happening right now had to be definitely connected to His Excellency.
It was nothing but a wild guess, but ironically, that was the only place it fit.
If it hadn’t been for His Excellency’s intervention in the first place, everything would have been going well according to the Original story.
['If this matter is connected to His Excellency… does that mean His Excellency erased my memories? No, that wouldn’t happen… If so, there would have been a bigger blow than this.']
If encountering His Excellency was considered the primary damage.
In truth, what was even more terrifying was the Empire invading the Maselin Kingdom using that primary damage as a justification.
A mere kingdom’s excellency had a dispute with the Empire’s Excellency? That alone was enough for the Kingdom to be wiped out.
Furthermore, the current Empire was not a toothless, sickly tiger like in the original story.
It was a tiger that ate well, its coat so sleek it practically shined.
Such a tiger was targeting the Maselin Kingdom? The result was obvious without even looking.
Therefore, considering the situation happening right now, having a Spirit taken away was connected to His Excellency.
But the memory itself being erased meant that His Excellency wasn’t directly involved.
“…His Excellency intervened in some incident, but couldn’t finish it? His Imperial Excellency?”
It was a story that didn’t add up. However, there was exactly one scenario that made this possible.
“Underground.”
Because there were many times she died without knowing when she would die every time she played the game,
because there were many parts where the situation twisted strangely just from pressing the wrong choice once,
it was a mode she installed to prevent such things.
If that had activated, every situation could be perfectly explained.
What if I made the wrong choice, and His Excellency intervened because of that choice,
and in this process, irreversible damage or results were created,
and the mode activated on its own to turn this into a normal development?
“…Then my empty memories and my Spirits going from four to one are explained.”
Having reached that conclusion, Mirne suddenly opened her eyes wide.
“Wait a minute, when Pyron was taken away… did it say not to touch the covenant? The system message? I think it did…”
Assuming she made the wrong move and a dangerous result occurred, causing a Forced Save & Load to trigger.
Most of the situation was explained, but there was exactly one point of doubt.
“Then why… is His Excellency not trying to dig into what happened during the Save & Load? Could it be that His Excellency has no memory of the Save & Load at all? But… instead, he took my Spirits one by one as a condition for that?”
It seemed the Forced Save & Load had occurred about twice, timing-wise.
Despite that happening, His Excellency was not making any response toward her.
Mirne was convinced that His Excellency also had no memory of the Forced Save & Load because of this.
['But if that’s the case, is His Excellency… not a Transmigrator?']
A brief moment of thought.
“It’s actually more comfortable for me if he isn’t, so it might be better to just think he isn’t.”
Mirne came to a clean conclusion.
In a world where she was the protagonist, the sudden appearance of another Transmigrator? She absolutely didn’t want that.
It would get on her nerves only when progressing through various parts of the story.
Of course, he was interfering to a suspiciously high degree with the original plot development to just think he wasn’t a Transmigrator.
['Even if he is a Transmigrator, it’s better to think he isn’t. Just… the Empire will disappear anyway.']
His Excellency couldn’t be His Excellency forever, so she decided to just brush this issue aside.
The moment Mirne reached that conclusion.
[ Underground has been recognized. ]
[ As a result, the damage that occurred during the Forced Save & Load process will immediately manifest without warning. ]
[ Please treat it immediately. ]
“Huh?”
An incomprehensible system message urgently appeared before her eyes.
Slash!
“Aaaaaagh!”
The ensuing severe pain
was not something Mirne, completely unprepared, could endure in her right mind.
Thud.
From the wound on her back to the pain of flames scorching her entire body.
As those burst forth all at once, Mirne lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Bring Kailen Marin.”
At the same time.
“You may refuse. No, rather, I wish you would refuse.”
The Empire’s knight order visited the Maselin Kingdom.
+++++
The Empire is strong.
This sentence needed no rhetorical flourishes.
Because the only country that could have the expression 'strong' attached to it was the Empire.
Those who knew the history of the past conquest war feared the Empire.
Those who did not know the meaning of history revered the Empire.
Wearing armor that looked formidable to anyone, exuding tremendous majesty.
Just standing still would naturally draw out a deep sense of respect.
Those who had never properly encountered the Imperial Knights thought so.
And this tendency became even more severe the further away one was from the Empire.
In a way, it was a natural thing.
Since they hadn’t properly experienced it and had never seen it in person, it was naturally glorified, so to speak.
Therefore.
“The will of the Little Sun is scheduled to arrive here soon.”
The knights of the Maselin Kingdom couldn’t help but be astonished at the sight of the Imperial Knights they saw for the first time.
“Everyone, disarm and submit.”
“…”
The Maselin Kingdom’s audience chamber.
There, the Imperial Knights were fully armed, proudly making their presence felt.
Courtesy and respect for the Maselin Kingdom were nowhere to be found.
Their actions were destructive and rude.
Armor that looked scorched by fire and a Mane Emblem that looked like flames.
The appearance of the Black Mane Knights, entirely composed of Sword Masters, flustered everyone, which was only natural.
Regardless.
“Did you not hear? I said the will of the Little Sun is scheduled to arrive here… so disarm.”
Roaming another Kingdom’s audience chamber like it was his own master bedroom,
the Black Mane division commander proudly demanded the disarmament of the Maselin Kingdom’s knights.
Not only that.
“King of the Maselin Kingdom, I would like it if you also rose from your chair and showed proper courtesy.”
He even urged the king to stand up and kneel.
Even if it was the Empire, the fact that their current behavior was blatant disrespect did not change.
“…Isn’t this too disrespectful?”
A Sword Master of the Maselin Kingdom raised his voice as if he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Naturally, their numbers were lower than the Empire’s, but the Maselin Kingdom was currently secretly training Sword Masters.
Looking only at the numbers right in front of them, they could match up to some extent, and that fact increased the volume of his voice.
“Coming out of nowhere to another Kingdom… what is this commotion?”
Even as the words of the Maselin Kingdom’s Sword Master, Elton, continued.
The Black Mane Knights just quietly stared at him.
An attitude of watching to see how far he would go.
At that gaze, Elton’s suppressed anger exploded.
“Is the Empire’s will truly…”
The moment he tried to continue speaking like that.
BANG!
“Do not carelessly speak of the Empire’s will.”
The Black Mane Knights reacted to the words 'Empire’s will'.
It happened in an instant.
Such a large gap that they couldn’t be considered on the same level as Sword Masters.
Elton didn’t even realize when he had been pinned to the floor.
He had only blinked once, but suddenly his field of vision lowered and a sword was at his neck.
['…Is there this much of a difference with the Empire?']
Elton was inwardly astonished at that moment.
“The youngest definitely joined late this time, so he must be thirsty for praise.”
“His Highness is not stingy with praise, so since he’s never heard it, he must want to.”
“Last time he praised us, he gave us that precious top-grade beef… it was such an ecstatic taste.”
“Youngest! Even so, what are you doing in someone else’s Kingdom!”
As if what was happening right now wasn’t a big deal at all.
The Black Mane Knights were casually talking to the one called the youngest.
“I apologize. This person dared to distort the Empire’s will…”
“It is proper to let it slide once. Do you think those beneath us can easily fathom the Empire’s will? How do you not know that this too is the Empire’s generosity.”
“…I overstepped my bounds.”
Even while making a genuinely apologetic expression.
The youngest glared murderously at the knight pinned beneath his foot.
“I heard. That you are considered a Sword Master like me.”
How dare you, knowing your place.
The youngest, sending a look that said it wouldn’t be satisfying even if he chewed him up right now.
Tsk.
Clicked his tongue briefly and returned to where the knight order was gathered.
And not long after, the following occurred.
“For those who might not have heard properly due to the commotion, I will advise you one last time. Everyone, disarm and prepare to uphold the will of the Little Sun.”
The final warning of the Black Mane Knights.
As soon as those words fell, the king rose from his seat and bowed his body.
The knights hastily dropped their armor and swords to the floor.
The ensuing situation was so violent that it was hard to believe it was happening in the Maselin Kingdom’s audience chamber.
The division commander delivering the imperial command while looking down at the bowing king with his sword still equipped.
And the king groveling as he listened to it.
The officials in the audience chamber were having thoughts like, “If only Mirne were here at a time like this,” but.
Their mental pillar, Mirne, was unconscious due to the damage from the Forced Save & Load.
The Empire’s raid that barged in during a situation without a practical decision-maker.
In this process, there was nothing the Maselin Kingdom could do.
After a very short time passed, two changes occurred in the Maselin Kingdom.
The first was that a part of the Maselin Kingdom’s land became the property of the Imperial Garrison.
“Kailen Marin, you’ll be stepping on your homeland for the first time in a while, why don’t you share your thoughts.”
The second was having Kailen Marin - whose shattered dantian had mostly recovered,
allowing him to pull his weight to some extent now - taken away right before their eyes.
And at the same time, Your Excellency Bellon.
[ When the Four Great Spirits gather, an opportunity to contract with the Spirit King arises. ]
[ Spirits are also judged as Other races. ]
“In the end, I have to take all the Spirits, is that it.”
While waiting for Kailen Marin, he was contemplating how to fleece Mirne’s last Spirit.