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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Imperial Capital, Egesti (2)
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What on earth did I do wrong? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't recall doing anything that would make Lily hate me this much.
I'd pondered it for the past few days, but I still hadn't found an answer.
"Well? I wouldn't know?"
When I finally couldn't take it anymore and asked Lily's younger brother, who wore an absurdly stiff expression, Duran feigned ignorance.
"Maybe she just started disliking you?"
"Disliking me? How could anyone dislike *this* face?"
"...I dislike you right now."
All I did was tilt my head in utter incomprehension.
Duran, who Tweet called officially ugly, seemed annoyed. He clicked his tongue and whipped his head away, just like his sister.
Whatever. I turned my gaze back to Lily and thought to myself.
'I suppose that's a possibility...'
I might have done something wrong to Lily without realizing it.
Or, perhaps Lily was angry because she'd misunderstood something on her own.
Whatever it was, it wasn't wrong for Lily, a person with emotions, to suddenly display such an attitude towards me.
However, even if I had done something wrong, or if Lily was misunderstanding me, her attitude of judging and excluding me without a single word was simply disappointing.
To me, someone who believes that nothing is more important than communication in resolving conflicts, Lily's behavior felt genuinely hurtful.
And most importantly.
'If she keeps acting like this even in the Holy Land, it'll be a real problem...'
Here, in Egesti, it was fine. Emotions could get hurt at any time; that was just human nature. I was even willing to indulge Lily's sulking as much as she wanted.
However, such an attitude was absolutely unacceptable in the Holy Land, where the Pilgrimage episode would unfold.
Because, in order to free Lily from the cycle of pilgrimage and suffering, and to annihilate all the corrupted individuals in the Holy Land, synergy with Lily was paramount.
'I'll have to talk to her soon.'
If Lily kept avoiding me, I'd have to forcibly corner her and somehow soothe her anger.
'The problem is how to make her feel better...'
Should I get her a gift?
Or should I pull a dramatic wall-slam?
No matter how much I thought, I couldn't figure it out.
Soothing a woman's feelings. This was far more difficult for me than taking the lives of the Seven Deadly Sins.
[Wow...!]
As I was lost in thought, Tweet's voice reached me through our consciousness link.
I looked up, and the splendid, magnificent Imperial Palace, grand enough to leave me speechless, came into view.
****
-Clink!
After dismounting, as we passed through the Imperial Palace's main gate, knights lined up in neat rows on either side of the path bowed their heads in unison.
Had they summoned every knight order in Egesti?
The procession of knights stretched unbroken all the way to the Hall beyond, where the Emperor awaited. Witnessing such a magnificent sight, I was once again struck by how truly grand this place was.
[Dad, there are so many burly people here— Ack!]
"Sorry, but go inside for a bit."
[No— Ow!]
"Listen to me. I'll grant you one wish later instead."
I shoved Tweet, who kept trying to poke her head out, back into my embrace with a hand, then offered her a carrot I had no intention of giving, severing our consciousness link.
"There's something you need to do."
With those words, I composed my expression and surveyed my surroundings with my Divine Insight.
I saw several nobles and their families positioned among the knights.
'They're starting to appear already.'
Corrupted nobles, bearing hostile expressions or imbued with demonic energy, were already starting to become visible.
I hadn't known this when playing the game, but I'd somehow learned it anew.
That even among the lower-ranking nobles, whose status was low enough to greet the pilgrimage party in the garden rather than the main hall, there were quite a few corrupted individuals.
****
Upon entering the Great Hall, where large-scale events, various banquets, meetings, and important ceremonies were held, an equally breathtaking sight unfolded.
A vast space capable of accommodating hundreds of people,
High-ranking knights in splendid armor and imperial ministers in formal attire, all standing in formation,
Various intricate magic circles painted on the ceiling, and a statue of a blue dragon positioned behind the throne.
And finally, Emperor Sikar von Isbandt himself, exuding an overwhelming aura befitting the empire's supreme ruler.
Beside the Emperor, who possessed a well-maintained appearance that could easily pass for middle-aged, stood Evil, the empire's chancellor, in a respectful posture.
-Clink.
The Sword Saint and Duran knelt on one knee before the Emperor, bowing their heads.
Lily walked forward to stand before them, then closed her eyes and gracefully brought her hands together at her chest.
Seeing this, the Emperor rose, slowly descended from his throne, and began to walk towards Lily.
"You've endured much hardship on your long journey."
"I greet Your Majesty."
As the Emperor bowed his head slightly with a benevolent smile, Lily reciprocated with a slight bow of her own.
She didn't offer an excessive bow, like kneeling or bending completely at the waist. This was said to be because the Saintess, the maiden most beloved by the Heavenly God, held a status equal to that of the Emperor.
'The Emperor's still fine.'
Whatever. I was focused on surveying my surroundings with my Divine Insight, sifting out the corrupted individuals.
'Those ones, I'll deal with them soon.'
I looked at the several nobles gathered to the Emperor's right, who were exchanging greetings with the Saintess, and thought.
Those who were already corrupted or showed signs of corruption were gazing at me, not the Saintess, with peculiar expressions.
'Has Ras not come here?'
He was such a duel-obsessed guy, I naturally expected him to be here, checking if I was worthy enough to duel him.
To my surprise, there was no sign of Ras.
'That means...'
It was one of three things.
Either Ras hadn't arrived here yet,
or he was waiting somewhere other than Egesti,
or he had already acknowledged me as a worthy opponent and was deep in preparations for our duel.
The most likely conjecture among them was the latter.
'Go on, do as you please. The outcome will be the same anyway.'
As I was solidifying my resolve with that thought,
-Bwoooom!
With the majestic blare of trumpets, the hollow ceremony began: the Empire, blessed by the Heavenly God, welcoming the Heavenly God's Daughter.
****
After the hollow ceremony concluded, Lily promptly retired to her chambers for the next day's schedule, while the remaining pilgrims were guided by Chancellor Evil.
Despite holding the high position of Chancellor, Evil maintained a consistently courteous and kind demeanor, assisting the pilgrims in every way, both materially and spiritually, to help them feel at ease.
Was it because I had already seen his kind demeanor in the game?
Or was it because he was the only major figure in the Empire who never became corrupted, no matter the circumstances?
Naturally feeling a fondness for him, I thought to myself.
'I should save this person too.'
In the game, the fate of Evil, a capable and incorruptible character, was always the same.
He sacrificed himself until the very end for the Empire,
and more broadly, for the continent's safety,
fighting against the corrupted until he died.
During the time I was deeply engrossed in the game, I'd thought highly of the character Evil and had tried to save him. But no matter what, that predetermined outcome never changed.
As he was a minor male character, I, too, had easily given up on him.
But now, it was different.
This world was the one I breathed and lived in, and Evil wasn't just a simple male character; he was a living person who would clearly be of great help in the future.
So, naturally, I had to save him, not leave him to die. The problem was how to save this chancellor, who had died like a sunfish no matter what happened. Surprisingly, for my current self, it wasn't a difficult task.
'I'll just kill them all.'
Eliminate all the corrupted individuals who were gnawing away at the Empire.
It was a very simple, yet the most certain, method.
"I was wondering if I could personally escort Sir Duran and Cadet Camel to their accommodations. Would that be acceptable?"
As I was thinking that, a dignified voice reached my ears.
I looked around and saw that all the other pilgrims had already headed to their assigned lodgings, leaving only Evil, Duran, and me.
"It would be an honor, Chancellor."
As Duran politely greeted him and accepted his offer, Evil's face lit up with a bright expression as he continued.
"Haha, I'm grateful, in fact. I've heard so much about the two of you lately that I actually wanted to have some personal time. Come, please follow me for now."
Evil began to speak in a calm, gentle tone as he slowly started walking.
"A while ago, I heard about Sir Duran's heroic deeds. It feels like just yesterday you were so small, and now you've become such a splendid hero, capable of executing the corrupted."
"Haha... it was nothing, really. Your words, Chancellor, just make me feel embarrassed."
Duran scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly, while I managed my expression, suppressing the laughter threatening to burst forth.
He'd been knocked out cold in one hit, so it was only natural he'd feel embarrassed receiving praise.
"I've also heard much about Cadet Camel. Haha, Cadet Camel probably doesn't know how much joy I felt upon hearing the news."
"You mean about me?"
What could he have heard? I asked, bewildered, and Evil replied with a benevolent smile on his face.
"Yes, I heard you were called the 'Vessel of Sin'... Is that correct?"
"..."
Evil's question left me utterly speechless.
I had expected him to know some information about me, but I hadn't anticipated him asking about it so directly.