Chapter 153

And… exactly an hour and a half prior, the very first sentence Carmen had spoken to the rest of the members who were practically radiating murderous intent was this:

“Let us make my Lord the Emperor of the Baran Empire.”

“……!”

“……!!”

“……!!!”

“No, strictly speaking, it would not be the Baran Empire, but rather the Empire of Sword God. What are your thoughts on my proposition?”

The one to react first to those words was none other than Sodin.

“Why on earth should we do that?”

“You… if I recall correctly, you said you were a Professor of the Purple Magic Tower?”

“I did.”

“Even if those two fought me and earned my recognition… you have not. Why do you show no respect toward me, the Lord of a Count’s domain?”

“You crazy bitch. You got brainwashed like an idiot, wallowed around like a parasite, and barely managed to start acting like a human being again because Sword God saved you. What kind of authority are you trying to flex now?”

“Regardless of the process, right now I am a Lord, and you are a mere(?) mage.”

“The ones who lent a hand while Sword God was saving your life happen to be me and the others right here, you ungrateful bitch.”

“…Hmm. I do not believe the outcome would have differed even without your assistance… but very well. I shall permit you to speak to me on equal terms as well.”

Elizabeth, who had been listening to the conversation from the sidelines, let out a scoff.

“Hey, dragonkin unnie. Why is your nose so high in the air when you don’t possess a single damn thing to your name?”

“Me? I merely take pride in my bloodline and status, and maintain an attitude befitting of them.”

“You’re making one huge mistake, unnie… Your standing in this mansion isn’t determined by your status on the outside. It’s about how useful you are to Orabeoni.”

“Even from that perspective, I doubt anyone here surpasses me. Little tamer girl.”

“You do? With what?”

“First, my title as a Count and my territory…”

“Just like Din unnie said a moment ago, Orabeoni literally shoved that down your throat. You shouldn’t brag with things that other people gave you.”

“Hmm. Well, that is not entirely incorrect. However, setting that aside, I am a Master. None of you are. Based on that alone, would I not be a far more useful existence to my Lord than any of you?”

At that, scoffs erupted from all directions. Faced with this collective reaction, even Carmen looked a bit flustered for the first time.

“This response is quite unpleasant.”

“The only thing unpleasant here is you, unnie. A Master-class Steel Body user? Who the hell cares about that?”

“…What?”

“You told Chel and Kelly a little while ago, didn’t you? Asking how that mustard-seed sliver of martial prowess could possibly be of use to my Lord.”

“I did.”

“Right. I admit it. Compared to Orabeoni, our martial power can totally be called a mustard seed. But do you think it’s any different for you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Are you deaf? I’m saying that compared to Orabeoni, your martial power isn’t any different from ours. Seriously… watching you brag with a mere Master rank is so cute it’s killing me.”

“…It seems there is something I am unaware of.”

“There is. There definitely is. Orabeoni is a Demon King slayer.”

At those words, the others flinched in absolute horror.

“Hey!”

“Why are you spilling that to an outsider?!”

“Are you insane?!”

“What?! Did I say something that isn’t true?! I’m just trying to give this unnie with absolutely nothing to her name a reality check, so what’s the big deal?!”

Carmen quietly pondered what she had just heard for a moment, before turning to Elizabeth with an even more solemn and serious expression.

“If you say Demon King… do you mean the Demon Kings who rule the North, South, East, and West continents?”

“Are there any other Demon Kings besides them?”

“I see… so that was the case. Is that also why a Slaughter Elf of Merina, who usually operates almost exclusively on the Western Continent, is lingering here…? Which means the one subjugated by my Lord’s hand was… the West Demon King?”

“…Oh, dragonkin unnie. I thought you’d dismiss it as total nonsense, but you actually believe it?”

“He referred to himself as a Grand Master, but from the moment I first laid eyes on him, I sensed he was not someone who would stop at such a level. I merely could not fathom where his limit lay. …It appears that limit is far more distant than anything I could have imagined.”

“Oh…?”

“You do not seem to have any intention of revealing every single detail, so I shall ask only a few things. First… is my Lord a god of the heavens?”

Elizabeth glanced subtly at Chel and Ailet before shaking her head.

“No. Orabeoni is a hero.”

“A hero? An Otherworlder?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. An existence from another world.”

“And apparently, he’s imperial royalty.”

“Imperial royalty?”

“Yeah. He said the surname ‘Go’ belongs to the imperial family of a massive empire called Go-guryeo in his world. Not everyone with that name, but only the lineage that uses a specific middle name like Hwein-seon? Hwaen-seon? Anyway, Orabeoni has that exact surname. Judging by how he avoids talking about it in detail, it seems like there’s some incredibly deep history behind it.”

“Mmm…”

Elizabeth murmured, a slightly dreamy look entering her eyes.

“He’s probably a prince from a distant branch of the succession, right? But since his abilities were so exceptionally peerless, his own family ostracized him. If we assume he couldn’t bear the thought of trampling over his own kin, and thus accepted the vocation of a hero to come to this other world… wouldn’t everything map out perfectly?”

Of course, this was merely a heavily distorted rumor born from various wild imaginations appended to the few offhand details Geom-shin had previously blurted out while revealing his identity as an Otherworlder—namely, that he was part of the Hoengseong Go clan, and that the Go surname originated from the royal house of Go-guryeo. Yet, for some strange reason, this absurdly far-fetched piece of fiction had been accepted as absolute gospel among the women of the mansion.

“Imperial royalty… I see. If that is the case, it certainly explains that haughty arrogance of his, acting as if he is looking down upon the entire world.”

“Then let me ask one more thing. Did my Lord suppress the West Demon King through sheer, overwhelming force? Or did he utilize some other method?”

“That is a ‘no comment.’ We aren’t allowed to reveal the details of that process.”

“Then a different question. Is my Lord… a Transcendent?”

The exact instant Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak with a thoroughly excited expression, Chel clamped a hand tightly over her lips.

“I shall answer that. He both is and is not. We will stop taking questions here.”

“Hmm… is it conditional? Which means it must be one of two possibilities. Either he can ascend above Transcendence once certain conditions are met… or he is already a Transcendent but is forced to live as a mortal due to some kind of restriction.”

“No comment.”

“At any rate, since things have turned out this way, one thing is absolutely certain. Just as that little tamer girl said, I too must focus much more heavily on serving him in his chambers.”

“What?”

“Must I abandon my position as a reliable confidant…? Then this armor will no longer do. I must change my attire completely. Just like that lewd Elf mage over there, I shall wear something full of exposed skin that emphasizes my chest and thighs…”

“Excuse me, did this dragonkin unnie completely lose her mind? Why on earth did a reality check suddenly pivot into that direction?”

At that moment, Sodin—who had just been branded a ‘lewd mage’ by Carmen—scowled with an utterly displeased face and clapped her palms together sharply.

“If the small talk is wrapped up, let us get back to the main point.”

“Seeing as you are not particularly denying it, it seems you acknowledge that your attire is indeed lewd.”

“Shut your mouth, you widow. So? Why exactly do you claim we must make Sword God an emperor?”

“I should be the one asking you that. Do you truly wish to see my Lord continue to roll around this mansion like a completely shiftless idle loafer for the rest of his days?”

“…….”

“I am a Lord, but at the same time, I am a knight. And a knight’s ultimate dream is to meet a magnificent master and gallop across the realm under their banner. I am no exception; my heart pounds frantically just thinking about riding horseback alongside my Lord onto a battlefield.”

“…….”

“A mage of the Magic Tower lingering around in vulgar attire that belongs on a dancer, and those Elves lingering around after crossing over from an entirely different continent… ultimately, all of your goals revolve around obtaining my Lord’s favor. In the end, the future all of you desire is a future alongside him, is it not?”

“…….”

“Surely all of you possess desires other than pure carnal lust. Desires for advancement, honor, power, or wealth. But as long as you remain by my Lord’s side, the achievement of those desires ultimately hinges upon him.”

“…….”

“Do you honestly believe there will ever be an opportunity for those desires to be fulfilled if my Lord continues to play around like an idle loafer?”

“…….”

“For my Lord to become an emperor—and further, the ruler of the entire continent—is the absolute most ideal way for all of you to achieve your respective desires.”

“…….”

“And that is not all. If my Lord becomes an emperor, your personal honor will never be tarnished regardless of the form your relationship with him takes. Even if you become a mere concubine, your families and clans will rejoice, boasting that their honor has been elevated to the heavens. But what if he remains as he is now, instead of an emperor? Can you truly declare with proud confidence that you are the concubine of an idle loafer whose sole daily achievement is eating grapes provided by a maid at a swimming pool?”

“…….”

“Naturally, we are well aware of my Lord’s true value. We know he is a savior who eradicated a Demon King and delivered a quarter of the world from the clutches of evil. We know he is a god-like entity balancing on the threshold of Transcendence, capable of annihilating a kingdom or two whenever he so pleases. But is my Lord the type of person to go around broadcasting that? And even if he did, would the world ever believe it?”

Moved by her persuasion, several individuals, including Sodin and Chel, let out a low, collective groan.

‘…Well, technically it was half the world he saved, not a quarter.’

‘…And it’s a continent or two he can annihilate at any moment, not a kingdom or two.’

“…Hmm?”

“It’s nothing. Well, setting aside a few technical errors, your words aren’t entirely wrong.”

“Indeed. She isn’t wrong. Whether one is a primary wife or a concubine, an emperor is certainly better than an idle loafer.”

“And above all else, I simply wish to see my Lord ascend to the highest peak. I wish to behold with my own two eyes the spectacle of the one I revere and adore sitting upon a lofty throne, looking down upon all of creation. My Lord is my master, but at the same time, he is also my absolute favorite.”

At that statement, everyone—for once—nodded their heads in unison.

“…I feel the same way about that.”

“Yeah. Me too…”

“Strictly speaking, that isn’t a desire for Oppa’s sake, but a desire for our own sakes.”

“Favorite… that expression somehow rolls right off the tongue.”

“The Emperor of my choice… our favorite emperor?”

“…At any rate, it seems everyone agrees with my proposition.”

Sodin then thrust her index finger into the air.

“However, there is one critical problem.”

“A problem?”

“The question of whether Sword God will actually comply just because we try to persuade him.”

“I agree. Orabeoni… he may look incredibly lax on the surface, but he is a man of remarkably firm convictions. He will probably refuse with every fiber of his being.”

“Hmm… that is certainly a dilemma. We can attempt persuasion, but we lack the power to force my Lord’s hand against his will. If only there were someone… an existence capable of thoroughly persuading my Lord and shifting his mindset, that would be ideal… For instance, a family member… But did he not say all of his family resides back in his original world?”

At those words, the gazes of every single woman aside from Carmen shifted entirely toward one specific direction as if by preestablished harmony.

And at the terminal point of those gazes stood Shia.

“Me? Hmm… well, if I stick tightly to his chest and offer up my cheeks as a sacrifice, he’ll usually listen to me, but… hmmm…. Whatever! Fine! It sounds like it’ll be fun, so I approve!”

“Oh…”

“Oho…”

“Ohhh…”

And Carmen addressed Shia directly for the very first time since arriving at the mansion.

“Come to think of it… who on earth are you?”

“This lady? This lady is Sword God’s other half. Sword God is this lady’s everything.”

And now, for some completely inexplicable reason, I scratched the back of my head as I stared at the mansion’s female residents, who had all tagged along for the raid on the Harpun Count’s Domain.

“Look, why are you guys following me out here again? Are you all just that bored?”

“That is not the case, Your Majesty.”

“Please allow us to assist you, Your Majesty.”

“They say even a light sheet of paper feels lighter when lifted together, do they not, Your Majesty?”

“Personally, I prefer being a primary wife over a concubine, Your Majesty.”

…What is wrong with them? They’re terrifying.