Preparing for Act 6 of Episode 169

Rattle-clatter-

The sounds of the carriage working diligently reverberated.

The road back to the capital, Jerion.

A situation of ultimate luxury, escorted by the Blue Mage Tower Master and the Imperial Knights.

Within this carriage, I was keenly aware of one person’s mood.

And that person was only one.

The girl sitting opposite me, a honey blonde with a pretty smile.

Isabel Luna.

Isabel smiled every time our eyes met.

Her smile was undoubtedly a beauty beyond price.

But right now, that smile felt dreadfully frightening.

“Isabel.”

“Yes, darling.”

She answers so well when I call her, so why is her smile so terrifying?

While I was mulling over this, the woman beside me watched with keen interest.

Long, manicured nails, an outfit adorned with ribbons, and a time-worn pendant.

The woman with the striking violet hair, Vinesha.

Vinesha leaned closer, whispering into my ear.

“Husband, was I like this when I chased after you before?”

“…I don’t know.”

To be precise, she’s scarier now than she was then.

Xenia, sitting next to Isabel, blinked, completely lost.

She had noticed the strange current between Isabel and me.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Just then, someone began to clear their throat.

When we turned our gaze, a woman as beautiful as a painting sat there.

A woman with platinum blonde hair and a ferociously shaped upper body miraculously concealed by clothing.

The noble saintess, Saint Nareatha of Acredia.

“Sir Hanon, I was wondering if we could continue the story I was planning to tell you earlier.”

The moment had arrived.

“Vinesha, could you summon Musica for me?”

“Yes, of course.”

Vinesha readily granted my request.

Her pendant glowed, and then her head drooped low.

After waiting a short while, the corners of her lips lifted into a wide grin.

“Hello, hello?”

The reincarnation of Aquilin, Musica’s possession, was complete.

I exchanged a glance with her and turned my gaze back to Acredia.

“Saintess Acredia, please speak.”

“To be precise, it’s not me, but Nareatha who has something to say.”

Acredia, along with Sentriol, had safely retrieved Nareatha.

As such, Nareatha once again resided within her body.

Something Nareatha wanted to say.

I had an inkling of what it might be.

So I glanced at the three people sitting in the carriage around me.

“Saintess Nareatha, would it be alright if these three people listened to the story with us?”

“Oh, w-would that be alright? Just a moment.”

Acredia answered hastily, and then her aura shifted.

The blank stare from moments ago vanished, replaced by eyes like chips of ice.

Her gaze, sharp as a frost-laden wind, slowly swept across the room.

The others, only now realizing the change in her, wore expressions of stunned surprise.

The Holy Saintess.

She had returned.

Her eyes met mine.

Though cold, they held a glimmer of kindness.

“First, I must offer my gratitude to Sir Hannon.”

Narea offered her thanks to me directly.

“Of course. And please, continue to be grateful.”

Here, one must seize the opportunity to take credit.

As I wished to maintain a good relationship with the Saintess, it was gratitude I rightfully deserved.

“Once again, I am indebted to you for my life. I hope that day will come when I can properly repay the debt.”

“I hope that ‘repayment’ applies to the matter we’re about to discuss.”

Upon seeing my reaction, her expression confirmed that I already knew.

“I do not know how Sir Hannon came to learn of this truth. Perhaps the reason for your… demeanor, is also because of it.”

Narea took a steadying breath, before speaking again.

“During Vulkan’s attempt at soul fusion, I discovered a truth that I must share with you all.”

“Vulkan’s corrupted flame… it was caused by the Archdemon, wasn’t it?”

Immediately, Musica spoke up.

Musica had seen fragments of the burning nightmare as I turned the corrupted flame into the Flame of Ash.

Therefore, she also knew the truth.

“Aquiline, you knew.”

“I saw it myself. Hannon burned it away directly.”

Displeasure was etched across Musica’s face.

The corrupted flame, Rosly, was once their comrade.

To discover the Archdemon was involved in that comrade’s corruption, naturally, she wouldn’t be pleased.

“I should have realized sooner.”

“Even Aquiline couldn’t have known. I only learned of it during the soul fusion attempt.”

Narea’s expression mirrored Musica’s.

She drew a breath, and continued.

“But the true trouble lies elsewhere. Through Vulkan, I glimpsed Akjon himself. It was thanks to the grace of the Goddess.”

She related what she had witnessed with her own eyes.

“He prepares to descend from the Demon Palace.”

“What?”

Even Isabel, who had been silent until now, showed a reaction this time.

She stared at Narea with disbelief in her eyes.

Zenia, too, felt the same.

Now, the story held a problem far greater than imagined.

“Akjon descends? It cannot be.”

“A vessel for Akjon’s descent exists in this world.”

“Who in the world is it?”

Isabel countered, and Narea fell silent for a moment.

I understood; it was an issue that couldn’t be spoken of lightly.

Thus, I decided to lighten her burden.

“Narea-nim, it’s alright. Those who are here are either reincarnations of heroes, or those destined to become them.”

That, I could guarantee myself.

These are the individuals who will fight against Akjon until the very end.

Narea and my eyes met.

After a period of silence, she finally opened her lips.

“…The Third Princess, Iris Haisirion.”

The moment that name was uttered, Isabel froze in place.

Soon after, her gaze slowly turned towards me.

I maintained my silence, watching Narea.

Isabel’s eyes wavered.

She realized what I had been doing by Iris’s side all this time.

“You…”

Isabel’s face showed she had much to say, but she didn’t speak.

She, too, knew that now was not the time to speak.

“Surely, someone is around her, someone who made her a vessel for Akjon’s descent.”

Narea surveyed them all, her gaze lingering for a moment.

“As Lord Hanon said, I trust those who are here.

Comrades from my past, chosen by the Goddess herself.”

Resolution hardened on Narea’s face.

“From this moment, I shall return to the Sacred Order and prepare to deal with the Avatar of the Archfiend and the one who created it.”

She turned her gaze to me.

It was her answer to the repayment of grace I’d spoken of just moments ago.

“Lord Hanon intends to save the Avatar, I presume.”

One would think she was born a Saint, what with such sharp perception.

“Yes, that is my intention.”

I had no intention of letting Iris end as the Archfiend’s Avatar.

She became the Avatar against her own will.

And the one who made her into that Avatar…

Duke Rovelliaz.

Eliminating him is my true objective, and the scenario for Act Six.

“I shall complete the preparations. The Sacred Order will fully support Lord Hanon, so please, speak the word when the time comes.”

Narea’s support is unwavering.

“You truly are…”

Isabelle sighed, nudging my knee with her own.

“I think I understand now why my wings awakened.”

“Then, about what you said before…”

“That’s on hold.”

Is that so.

“The Goddess only intends to make us suffer, it seems.”

Musica grumbled about the reason for her reincarnation, letting out a sigh.

Then, as if having made a decision, she declared,

“I will go to Panisis. If I reveal my reincarnation, I should be able to gain the cooperation of the Panisis Kingdom.”

Musica, too, would move to lend her strength.

It pains me to say goodbye to Grantoni for a short while.

Lastly.

All eyes swiveled to Zenia.

Zenia’s eyes darted about wildly.

Her face had drained of all color, leaving her ashen.

“N, Niflheim…”

Zenia managed, her voice barely a whisper.

“…they’re supporters of the Third Princess.”

Her expression crumpled, verging on tears.

The House of Niflheim had been deeply intertwined with the Dukedom of Lobelia for ages.

It was only natural, then, that they would support the Third Princess.

“Oh, what do I do?”

Zenia’s face paled even further.

There was no undoing the ties her family had forged over generations.

It was a profoundly unsettling matter for Zenia.

If the truth of the Third Princess being the Evil God’s vessel were to come out, everything connected to Lobelia would face collective punishment.

Of course, the House of Niflheim wouldn’t be able to escape that fate either.

“It’s alright.”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I could think.

Zenia turned toward me, her face still white with panic.

“Zenia, you are the only one who can influence the House of Niflheim directly.”

Resolving this matter was relatively straightforward.

“You’re the Acting Head. Niflheim can change course depending on your direction.”

If Zenia didn’t support the Duke of Lobelia, Niflheim would be influenced accordingly.

This was something that happened in the original storyline as well.

Together with Lucas, she learned of the Duke of Lobelia’s true nature and moved the House of Niflheim herself.

Lucas provided the initial push then, but I have no choice but to fill that role now.

Zenia is capable of it.

As I explained, the color returned to Zenia’s face.

“That’s right.”

Zenia clenched her fist, her face regaining its strength.

“It’s something I can do, if I act.”

Thus, the Duke of Robelia would lose a significant power in the Count Nifleheim.

And already, the First Prince faction and the Third Princess faction were nearly matched in strength.

This would approach as a crisis to Robelia as well.

And ultimately, become the reason he has no choice but to begin his moves.

Just then, Isabel’s pupils suddenly widened.

Immediately after, Isabel whipped around to face me.

My expression betrayed my confusion under her gaze.

“You… don’t tell me.”

Isabel looked back and forth between Zenia and me, her face filled with untold words.

Then, she pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment before exhaling.

*Clunk-*

Just then, the carriage came to a halt.

Soon after, Centriol knocked, conveying a message inside.

“We will all rest for a moment.”

It was horses, after all, pulling the carriage.

As such, they couldn’t run forever, and breaks were essential.

“You, come talk to me for a moment.”

Isabel abruptly requested a conversation with me.

I didn’t know what it was about, but I excused myself to the three of them and followed Isabel out.

“What’s going on?”

Isabel walked toward a slightly less populated area.

She glanced back at the carriage we had arrived in, then asked me.

“All along, you attacked the Third Princess to protect the Count Nifleheim?”

Huh?