What an interesting set of memories.
Being inside this human body really does offer a different kind of experience.
My original self once said that I am his past, while he is my future.
Thinking about it carefully, that actually makes quite a bit of sense.
Compared to who I am now, the version of myself from shortly after transmigration was actually closer to my current way of thinking and personality.
Dragons and humans, these two physical forms of life, are guiding consciousness in two completely different directions.
At this point, I suppose I could be considered an external brain.
Uehara Naraku.
What a wonderfully twisted name. As expected of a name chosen by "me."
An extension and expansion of the same consciousness within different physical forms.
When I have the time, I should go find the Original and have a proper talk with him.
Then again, even if I said nothing, he should still be able to perceive everything I do and think.
After all, that guy is the original, while I'm merely a clone.
No, perhaps I don't even qualify as a clone.
Hmm. Strictly speaking, "my" existence is closer to the manifestation of a thought, or perhaps the physical embodiment of a way of thinking.
Forget it. I'd better not think too deeply about this.
If I keep going, things might get troublesome. I certainly don't want to end up questioning my own existence like the Deep Darkness Dragon Lord did back then.
...
"That really was quite a masterstroke~"
On the roof of the Magic Academy, Naraku sat with one leg crossed over the other as he flipped through the report Renner had sent him.
He had to admit, some people might not be particularly strong, but their minds were frighteningly sharp.
Princess Renner, back when she was still a princess, was one example. Caspond Bessarez, the central figure in this incident, was another.
The former heir to the Holy King had acted with far more decisiveness and aggression than Naraku had expected.
He had sat back and watched the Holy Kingdom descend into internal conflict.
He deliberately guided the Holy Queen into coming to find him, allowing him to seize complete control of the situation.
Because he knew the Holy Queen could never leave the Holy Kingdom alone, Kelart and Remedios, the two sisters who were practically inseparable from his younger sister, were certain to accompany her.
And he had cleverly taken advantage of that.
By stepping into the situation himself, he deliberately occupied the attention of the Holy Queen and Kelart while using the opportunity to separate Remedios from the Paladin Order's watchful eyes.
He had already opened negotiations with the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Theocracy, promising them a series of enticing benefits.
With that, he had successfully strangled this farce in its cradle before it could truly begin.
At the same time, he had prepared an escape route in advance for both himself and the Holy Kingdom.
Then came the most crucial step of the entire plan. He was willing to use Remedios's life as the price.
"Heh. No matter how things develop from here, the situation will work in his favor."
A brilliant strategy.
Every step and every detail had been calculated with such precision that one could only admire how thoroughly he had thought everything through.
Remedios's death would set off a series of complicated and far-reaching consequences.
First, it would serve as a test of the Holy Queen's reaction.
If his younger sister had immediately prioritized the safety of the Holy Kingdom, Caspond might have hesitated, perhaps even abandoned his original plan.
Unfortunately, the result had disappointed him.
When faced with the choice between the Holy Kingdom and Remedios, her first thought had been to resurrect the latter, rather than worry about the former.
Of course he was disappointed.
At the same time, however, this reaction was also part of his scheme.
The Holy Queen's actions would undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among some people.
The first among them would be Pavel, one of the Nine Colors, along with the members of the Paladin Order.
And that dissatisfaction would become Caspond's strength.
As long as he made clever use of those emotions at the crucial moment, he could easily win the support and trust of two members of the Nine Colors and the majority of the Paladin Order.
Remedios would eventually be resurrected, but there was absolutely no way that process could take place within the Sorcerer Kingdom.
She could only be resurrected after returning to the Holy Kingdom.
And abandoning the interests of the entire Holy Kingdom for the sake of personal feelings would deepen the resentment of certain people even further.
Of course, perhaps concern would cloud his sister's judgment.
She might even resurrect Remedios right there in the Sorcerer Kingdom, but doing so would instead leave everyone with the impression that she lacked the ability to see the bigger picture.
Either way, the result would not differ by much.
In short, after this incident, Remedios would probably find it difficult to retain her position as Grandmaster of the Paladin Order.
Furthermore, according to one of the agreements made with the Sorcerer Kingdom, something belonging to Remedios would be taken as payment. Naraku did not know exactly what it was, but her strength would definitely fall dramatically.
Even Resurrection with Fifth-Tier Magic would not save her. She was guaranteed to fall out of the Realm of Heroes.
It was essentially the same as cutting off one of his younger sister's arms.
The next Grandmaster could only be chosen from the two deputy commanders, and from Caspond's perspective, it made no difference which one succeeded her.
Unless they parachuted in an outsider as Grand Master, of course. But doing that would more or less destroy the Paladin Order's cohesion entirely.
So the final outcome had already been decided.
"He exploited their trust, yet he still refused to hurt his own sister. He wants to bring all of this to an end without spilling blood."
"On one hand, he has to make sure no one truly dies because of this. On the other, he has to keep advancing his plan while minimizing the losses..."
Tsk, tsk. Remedios's value just keeps going up!
He really was squeezing everything he could out of the same person.
Then again, if Naraku had to choose someone, he probably would have picked her too.
Arrogant, willful, and stubborn.
Her words and actions always matched, and she had no ability whatsoever to hide what she was thinking. Someone that naive really was not suited to being Grand Master of the Paladin Order.
Compared with Grand Master, the role of Assault Squad Leader might suit her much better.
Becoming Grand Master simply because she was an exceptionally powerful Paladin...
It was much the same as the Holy Queen becoming the Holy King simply because her talent for the Divine System was so extraordinary.
"Not bad. She provides plenty of entertainment value. If everything stayed the same forever, things would get far too boring."
Naraku slowly rose to his feet and looked down at the neat rows of buildings below.
With Nazarick's overwhelming power, conquering the entire world would hardly be difficult.
So why had they not done so?
Was it simply because they did not want to?
The answer was actually very simple.
It just sounded like too much trouble.
The Sorcerer Kingdom was more like an entertaining simulation game, something they could use to amuse themselves.
Reaching the top in a single leap might certainly feel satisfying, but that feeling would only last for a short while. Afterward, there would be nothing left to do.
So why not leave some room for things to develop and toss out a little bait?
Like a leisurely angler, simply sit back and watch how the continent changed.
Only a future filled with uncertainty could keep someone interested for a long time.
And that was precisely why the Holy Kingdom, the City Alliance, and the Central Continent were still allowed to exist.
"Well then, it's time to indulge the Original's latest whim. What was it again... the limits of a Genius?"
A transparent shard appeared before his eyes.
This shard was the physical embodiment of Remedios's class, Paladin (Genius).
The Soul was where one's class resided.
Even if the body perished, as long as the Soul remained, the power of the class would not disappear.
Just as someone who lost their body and underwent Resurrection would still retain their original class abilities afterward.
And the payment the Sorcerer Kingdom had demanded earlier was precisely the power Remedios possessed as a Paladin.
Or, more accurately, the power of a Genius.
[Magic Detection]
Name: Uehara Naraku
Race: Humanoid Race
Race Level: None
Class Level:
Genius LV5
Pharmacist (Genius) LV1
Alchemist (Genius) LV1
Warrior (Genius) LV1
Archer (Genius) LV1
Rogue (Genius) LV1
Swordsman (Genius) LV1
...
Total Race Level: LV0, Class Level: LV94.
"The final piece of the puzzle..."
He placed the shard belonging to Paladin (Genius) into his chest, and a cool sensation welled up within him.
***
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