The intense pain subsided as if it had only been a fleeting phantom ache.
It was the result of the awakened prophet Helena’s powerful divine energy.
At this level, couldn’t Lobelia have been revived with the prophet’s power alone, without needing the World Tree’s fruit?
Somehow, it felt like we had taken the long way around.
That’s how impressive Helena’s power had become since her awakening.
“Whew… whew… I protected our house!”
“Yes, well done.”
While the house was being destroyed and restored, I had fallen from the second floor to the ground.
My body had recovered thanks to the divine power’s aftereffects, but my mind hadn’t.
How ridiculous. I suffer side effects whether I almost die or survive.
It feels like I’m living life as a freebie thrown in with a discount item at the market.
“But Helena, I don’t think this is over yet.”
“Ugh…”
Apparently, just blowing up the house once wasn’t enough.
Lobelia crackled with electricity, and Lapis watched her with a bright smile.
A powder keg ready to explode.
It wouldn’t be surprising if they clashed again at any moment.
I knew Lapis was a monster, but to come out completely unharmed even after that earlier strike…
Lobelia had just summoned lightning.
It hadn’t come from her body. She called it down from the sky.
That alone showed how much stronger her abilities had become.
It felt like her range had expanded.
“I can’t predict her anymore.”
Lobelia was already far stronger than I had known.
At this point, she might even be able to hold her own one-on-one against the final bosses.
Of course…
“Haa… haa…”
It seemed like even she couldn’t fully handle that output yet.
Alright, time to make a move.
The shock of the lightning strike still lingered like a phantom pain.
But if I stuck around like this, I might actually get caught in their fight and die.
“Let’s calm down, Your Highness.”
“…Johan, did you know?”
“Roughly, yes. I knew that Her Highness First Princess Lapis wasn’t human, but rather something unidentified.”
“…I see.”
“And I doubt I was the only one who knew. His Majesty the Emperor must have known as well. You understand what that implies, right?”
“…That monster’s existence is being tolerated.”
“Most likely.”
The moment Lobelia recognized what Lapis truly was, she no longer treated her like an older sister.
Lapis, in turn, looked hurt by Lobelia’s cold attitude, as if sulking.
Just judging by that expression alone, she really seemed like an ordinary person…
But the thought of something unknown lurking inside her gave me chills.
“I’ve always had doubts about His Majesty’s intentions, but never as much as I do now.”
“That’s so mean. What did I ever do to deserve this? Sob sob.”
Lobelia lowered her guard.
Watching her, Lapis put on an exaggeratedly sorrowful face, like someone being unfairly persecuted.
Disgusting. This is exactly why imperia members are… ugh.
“Who else knows about this?”
“Prince Theseus, perhaps?”
“…I see. If I knew a monster like that was living under the same roof, I’d run away from home too.”
Yeah, even I’d be traumatized.
He might be a bit of a fool, but he never seemed malicious.
“So… it’s being tolerated, huh…”
A look of disbelief clouded her face.
Well, whether she accepts it or not doesn’t matter much to me.
If you’re going to fight, do it outside. Hope the two of them settle things without dragging anyone else in.
“I’ll have to look into it more.”
“You plan to go see His Majesty?”
“I must. I won’t be satisfied until I hear his reasoning.”
“Well… in that case, best of luck.”
I just hope the fallout doesn’t land on me.
“……..”
“Me? You want me to go to the imperial palace? Are you insane….ahem… It would be an immeasurable honor, but I happen to have many urgent matters to attend to…”
“Ah, I see. My apologies. I let my emotions get ahead of me. I’ll make sure you’re rewarded later for your role in this.”
Lobelia hastily changed her tune.
What did she mean by “letting her emotions get ahead of her”?
Was she planning to kill me or something?
“Well then, Johan. I’ll see you again soon.”
“……”
“Answer me.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”
“Haha, you’re always so consistent.”
Lobelia laughed.
She might not like me saying this, but…
“Oh my, I didn’t know Lobelia could smile like that.”
That smile sparkled as brightly as the ones Lapis always wore.
***
The curse placed on Lobelia had been resolved smoothly.
Who would’ve thought a request from Ariel would snowball into something like this…
The world really is full of surprises.
At this rate, I might end up getting swept into a world-ending crisis just by going to the corner store.
You never know where disaster will strike. That’s the scariest part.
“Well then, I suppose it’s our turn now.”
“……”
Almost as if he’d been waiting, the Scriptwriter Deus tore through space and appeared.
No, maybe I should start calling him something else?
There are two Scriptwriters in the world now. To avoid confusion, I should refer to them differently.
“You’re here, Wonder Mage.”
“You’re calling me something different now? Doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m still me.”
The wandering archmage, Wonder Mage… yet another side of Deus.
These days he seemed to rely more on magic than machines, so maybe that name suits him better.
“Let’s settle this. What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Convince me.”
“You think he’ll even agree to meet me? As far as he’s concerned, I probably look like someone holding a weapon.”
“Which is why getting him to the table is the real challenge.”
“…Fair enough.”
The key is getting the other side to even consider talking.
That much was obvious. Which means there’s only one way.
“You want me to bypass the Scriptwriter’s defense system and get in to meet him?”
“Exactly.”
“And if persuasion fails?”
“Then you’ll have to use the Perfect Gear you completed. I doubt you want to just sit there and die.”
“……”
He’s telling me to kill the Scriptwriter Deus.
The Wonder Mage said it just like that.
I didn’t think someone could talk about killing themselves so casually.
Seeing all this, it really didn’t seem like he was afraid of death…
Or maybe it’s because he’s already dead that he doesn’t fear it?
Either way, the weight of this situation is far too heavy for me.
“So what I need is brute force, huh.”
“Exactly.”
Even just getting in front of Deus won’t be easy.
It means I’ll need a certain level of qualification just to speak with him.
He’s probably fortified himself inside some kind of fortress. And I’m supposed to break through that?
There’s no way I can pull that off alone. I’ll definitely need help from the outside.
Well, not like I’ve ever done anything on my own anyway…
“Guess I should contact Immun first. Fill him in… and hope he’ll help.”
The uncertainty gnaws at me.
Immun is a good and just person, but at the same time, he’s shown signs of blind faith toward Deus.
Once I explain the situation, I honestly don’t know if he’ll take my side.
If he hits me with some vague “It’s all part of the plan” nonsense, I might die of stress before Deus kills me.
“What if I persuaded him?”
“Even the fact that you’ve shown yourself to me like this is extraordinary. Originally, I intended only to watch.”
“And why are you suddenly dumping this on me…? Ugh, whatever. I guess that’s just my lot in life.”
I still don’t know why I was chosen as his successor.
I’m sure there are others far more qualified than me.
It honestly feels like I was picked just because I happened to be nearby and familiar.
“What will you do?”
“Well, what choice do I have?”
If I keep hesitating because of fear, nothing will ever get done.
“I’ll trust you. I’m sure you had a reason for choosing Immun.”
“You trust me?”
“Now, if you phrase it like that, it makes distrust well up from the depths of my soul… but still, I’ll trust what I’ve seen and heard.”
I don’t trust Wonder Mage’s character.
I’m suspicious of his evaluations and plans too.
But I will trust Immun. Deus trusted him, and I’ve seen him with my own eyes.
“Of course, I’ll be looking into other options on my own too.”
Take today, for example.
I brought Lobelia back to life. So now, she owes me a debt.
She’s far more powerful now than she ever was in the original game.
If I leverage her strength, things might go surprisingly well.
Yeah, let’s put some hope in Lobelia.
That’s why I even used the World Tree’s fruit in the first place.
“But we just parted ways, and I’m exhausted in every possible way. Let’s continue this conversation tomorrow.”
“It’s urgent, though.”
“They say the more urgent something is, the more you should take your time.”
“Hmph. I hope you won’t regret that choice.”
…What the hell kind of response is that?
It’s your business too, and here you are cursing me like you want it to all go to hell.
***
Having uncovered Lapis’s true identity, Lobelia headed straight for the Imperial Palace.
She bypassed all formal procedures and marched directly into the audience chamber.
Emperor Abraham was already seated on the throne, smiling as if he had been expecting her.
“Lobelia.”
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed.”
Abraham’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Lobelia.
What on earth had happened in that short time? The power radiating from Lobelia was extraordinary.
It was enough to surpass even Theseus before he left the Imperial family.
And the moment he arrived at that thought, Abraham couldn’t help but smile….this time, with a different meaning.
“Yes, I’m sure you have questions for me.”
Lobelia had finally seen through Lapis’s identity.
It meant she was finally showing the qualities of an emperor.
Lapis wasn’t an enemy.
But that didn’t change the fact that she was a threat. And there’s a huge difference between being aware of that fact and not even being able to recognize it.
An emperor must understand and be able to control the only unpredictable variable within the Imperial Palace.
Abraham didn’t believe that Lobelia was yet capable of defeating that monster… but one thing was certain: she had reached the starting line.
And once someone makes it to the starting line, what comes next is simple.
Move forward.
Theseus ultimately ran away before he could even stand at that line. But Lobelia was different.
She had already begun.
The fact that she stood before him now meant she had entered the path. She had reached a milestone.
“So, what is it you want to know?”
“Judging from your expression, it seems Your Majesty already knew the First Princess’s secret.”
“How could I not?”
“Ha…!”
Lobelia shook her head.
“Are you wondering why I’m leaving that monster alone?”
“…Well, You are the Emperor. I figured you must have some devious scheme. That’s all I needed to be sure of.”
“Then what is it? What’s left for you to ask, standing before me like this?”
“What I want to know is—”
Rumble!
Dark clouds rolled in, tinged with a crimson lightning.
Abraham’s eyes sparkled as he waited for Lobelia to speak.
“To see just how strong I’ve become now.”
“Hahahahaha!”
A clear intent.
Fierce determination.
Abraham smiled gently as he looked at Lobelia and gave his reply.
***
The next day.
I went to find Lobelia to ask for her help with Deus’s situation.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long to track her down. When I went to see Ariel, one of her close confidants, to ask about Lobelia’s whereabouts, she happened to be there at the time.
“Her Highness is resting.”
“Would it be possible for me to see her?”
“Hmm… I think it’ll be fine.”
Surprisingly, even meeting an imperial member didn’t require much effort.
I guess that means I’ve earned some trust by now.
Maybe, just maybe, my time in the sun has finally come.
With that lighthearted feeling, I arrived at the room where Lobelia was resting.
“……”
There, I found her in an even worse state than she’d been in the night before. She hadn’t lost consciousness, but she looked like she could barely move.
“What on earth happened…?”
“Oh dear, sorry to make you worry. But I’m all right. Give me a week, and I’ll be back on my feet.”
“Wait, Your Highness? Seriously, what happened to you?”
“Well, you see…”
That’s when I heard the whole story from Lobelia herself.
Apparently, she’d gotten a little too bold and talked back to the Emperor… and then got beaten like a dog on the hottest day of summer.
What was she even thinking?
How could anyone be more reckless than a wild, untamed horse?
“…Ha. Whatever. Never mind.”
Right. Still, if she says she’ll be back on her feet in a week, then it’s not a huge problem.
If I borrowed Helena’s power… no, that might not work.
Since it’s a wound inflicted by the Emperor himself, the power of destruction must be lingering stronger than ever.
Looks like we’ll be forced to waste a full week.
But then—
“Your Highness! Urgent news!”
They say misfortunes never come alone.
“The trade city of Creta has been seized by an unknown Ex Machina! It was fortified overnight!”
Seeing the knight’s pale face as he called for Lobelia, I was suddenly reminded of something the Wonder Mage had said.
– Hmph. I hope you won’t regret that choice.
That bastard knew this was going to happen!
No, if it was going to blow up this badly, couldn’t he have tried to stop me a little more seriously?!
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