Chapter 342: Stage Part 3

The World Tree grabbed the hem of my clothes and shook her head repeatedly, utterly speechless. It was a clear sign of refusal.

There was real fear in her eyes now, completely different from her earlier whining.

Even she must have been horrified by Emily’s bizarre way of thinking.

Honestly, I was pretty shaken myself.

I told her to use human standards…

But doesn’t that mean she applies the exact same standards even to humans?

The horrifying conclusion that disassembling a person was perfectly acceptable as long as you could put them back together afterward made me seriously reconsider this engagement all over again.

One thing was certain.

I absolutely could not die before her. If I died first, there was no telling what Emily might do trying to bring me back.

“I-I don’t want to die…!”

“……”

Yeah, no matter what, it was hard to ignore that. A child-looking girl was clutching my clothes and saying she didn’t want to die. How was I supposed to brush that off?

Sure, she looked like Tillis and wasn’t actually human but the World Tree itself, but even taking that into account, it still left a bitter feeling behind.

“Lady World Tree.”

I knelt down and met the tearful girl’s eyes as I spoke.

“So… what exactly do you want me to do?”

No, I’m not the heartless one here.

Looking only at the current situation, I could see why it might seem that way, but think about it carefully.

I clearly said this earlier.

“You said I look like a scammer. And now you want someone like me to save you?”

“Y-You cold-hearted human! You’re practically a demon!”

“No, but seriously.”

The information I gave her was actually credible, and she immediately called me a scammer?

Then turning around and asking me to save her was a little shameless, wasn’t it? I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to respond to that.

What was the point of saying anything to someone who didn’t trust me?

Nothing I said would sound sincere to her anyway. I had no intention of wasting energy on emotional labor like that.

“If you’re really that worried, then at least give me a branch or something. I’ll pass it to a friend of mine, and if things ever become dangerous, you can signal us somehow.”

“B-But your circle of acquaintances is…”

“What about my circle of acquaintances?”

Sure, compared to me, every single one of them is lacking in some way.

Still, they do have their strengths.

For starters, Dietrich is strong. His swordsmanship alone is impressive, and he even possesses that absurd supernatural ability called Trace.

Jeff is, well… he has a good personality, and Melana…

Yeah, that one’s genuinely hopeless. I honestly can’t think of a single strong point.

And no, I’m not saying that just because she’s been beating me up lately.

Anyway, that’s about the extent of Melana. Helena, though? Once she opens her eyes, she could probably even perceive the World Tree itself.

Well, she is a prophet, after all. Those eyes bearing the symbol of Elysium would likely see straight through even an avatar of the World Tree.

Chris is… an exception. I can’t drag him into something this dangerous.

“What do you think about Dietrich? He’s an incredible guy when it comes to fighting power.”

“Would he protect me?”

“……Of course.”

Come to think of it, I wasn’t actually sure whether he’d agree to this request. Helena would naturally be his top priority.

And if, just as the World Tree feared, the Imperial Family really did deploy troops to wipe it out, then even if Dietrich and the entire ragtag group charged in together, they wouldn’t be able to stop it.

Still, there was another reason I was making this suggestion.

“What do you think?”

To help her feel reassured after hearing it.

At this point, there was no real solution. Even with a small elite force fighting a guerrilla war, the situation would still be bleak, so defending this place with our current numbers?

That would be nothing short of suicide. So the best outcome was for it never to happen in the first place.

And while I was at it, getting another branch out of the deal wouldn’t hurt either.

“…….”

“And next time I come, I’ll bring you some crème brûlée.”

“I believed in you all along!”

Easy. Too easy.

Just like that, I got my hands on another precious branch.

Of course, it wouldn’t have the same power or symbolic value as the first branch, but maybe I could still sell it for a decent price.

***

On the way back, I entrusted the World Tree’s branch to Dietrich.

A promise is a promise, after all. Though of course, I planned to take it back once everything was over.

Then, after leaving the ragtag group’s residence and returning to the Imperial Capital—

“…….”

Even the air felt different.

That was the feeling I got.

It was an ominous atmosphere that made it painfully clear why Yuna had told me not to leave the Cradle for a while.

The tension in the air was so thick it felt like something could erupt at any moment.

And surprisingly, it didn’t take long to learn the cause of this atmosphere.

The hero, Theseus Vicious van Miltonia, had been killed by the Emperor himself.

The moment I heard that, my vision nearly went white.

“How did this happen?”

“Do I look like an information broker to you? We’re just a merchant company.”

“So what happened? Did Prince Theseus really die?”

He wasn’t someone who could die that easily. No matter how monstrous the Emperor might be, there was no way Theseus would have gone down without even putting up resistance.

“It was an ambush, apparently.”

“…….”

“They say that in the middle of the parade, the Emperor suddenly drew his sword and stabbed him.”

“So did he really die or not?”

“I don’t know.”

“…….”

“It was confirmed that he was stabbed, and they also saw him fall after being engulfed in flames, but they never found the body.”

In that case, the chances of him being alive were high. Still, since he had been struck by the Emperor’s flames, he was probably in critical condition.

Even if we wanted to treat him, it would be meaningless if we didn’t know where he was.

“There are signs that a resistance group is forming. They’ve already contacted our side. It’s possible they already have Theseus with them.”

“I see……”

Honestly, if it’s Theseus, I believe he survived. He’s just that strong.

But the injuries were undoubtedly fatal.

They’d probably be difficult to recover from as well. The best option would be to have Helena treat him, but his location still hadn’t been identified, and even with Helena’s healing, there was a high chance he wouldn’t recover completely.

Which made sense, considering the wounds were inflicted by Abraham’s ability.

Among all members of the Imperial Family, the Emperor Abraham wielded the authority of destruction more powerfully than anyone else. I don’t know whether he truly intended to kill Theseus, but one thing was certain.

“Prince Theseus is retired from the board now.”

At the very least, the Emperor had made sure Theseus would no longer have a chance to interfere.

Whether he intended to kill him outright or simply force him to withdraw from the front lines completely, I couldn’t say.

But one thing was undeniable: the Emperor’s plans had moved on to the next stage.

The spark had already been lit. It wouldn’t take long for it to grow into a raging inferno.

And at the center of it all would be Lobelia. She was probably dealing with a massive headache herself.

“For now, go back to the Cradle with Emily.”

“That’s the plan.”

“It’s dangerous, so don’t even think about coming back out for a while.”

The Cradle was becoming a true sanctuary in every sense of the word. The same Cradle that used to get trampled by terrorist attacks on a weekly basis had now become the safest place in the Empire.

It was honestly pretty moving.

Though it was irritating that this happened right when I actually needed to be out and about.

Well, from now on, I could just quietly keep my head down inside the Cradle too.

Just like Yuna said, I should cut myself off from the outside world and rest for a while.

“For now, I should probably tell Father to take Chris and head back to the territory. You’ll help with that, right, Sister-in-law?”

“That title seriously annoys me, so could you stop using it? …Still, I’ll help send them back to the territory. It’s definitely safer than staying in the capital.”

A storm was coming.

And this storm would be fiercer than any before it, leaving behind deeper scars than ever.

***

No matter how chaotic things became outside, life inside the Cradle hadn’t changed much.

Of course, things were still somewhat unsettled here too. But thanks to the staff and the controls being enforced under Olga Hermod’s leadership, it amounted to little more than a tense atmosphere.

Still, that was fine.

There was no enemy capable of breaking through these walls. The Empire might now be divided in two, but neither side had any intention of trampling the young sprouts growing here.

Between the Resistance and the Imperial Army, amid a battlefield where two great waves were set to collide, the Cradle would become one of the few remaining sanctuaries.

“Johan Damus, do not stir up trouble.”

“Headmistress, I haven’t done anything or said anything. I was just attending class normally, and then you called me out just to say that……”

Given the current situation, I got summoned by Olga Hermod and scolded despite doing absolutely nothing.

At this point, being oppressed for no reason whatsoever was something I was already used to.

Ever since the day Lobelia came looking for me, my life had been thoroughly thrown off the rails.

“Even inside the Cradle, avoid leaving Yuna’s side whenever possible.”

“Are you showing favoritism just because she’s your daughter?”

“Would you like to be pushed off a cliff?”

“That’s a metaphor, right?”

Whoosh!

In an instant, the ground vanished beneath me, and my body began plummeting straight down.

Caught in Olga Hermod’s illusion without even sensing the slightest warning, I swallowed hard and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Ghk!”

A sharp pain shot through my back a moment later.

What? That wasn’t an illusion? Why did it come with physical impact?

Did she distort my senses? No, even so, my level wasn’t low enough for that. When it came to illusion magic, I was quite skilled myself.

“…….”

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

I had fallen from the second-floor window of Olga Hermod’s office and crashed onto the ground below.

“She actually pushed me…….”

It wasn’t some warning through illusion magic. She had literally shoved me out of a second-floor window.

The fact that someone this ruthless was an educator really showed that this country had gone completely off the rails.

“It’s not as though someone like you would suffer any real harm from a fall at that height. You probably would’ve survived even if you landed on your head, yet you’re making such a fuss.”

“A normal person would’ve died.”

“Are you a normal person?”

“…….”

What a tragic realization.

At this point, even I could no longer describe myself as an ordinary person.

I had fallen from a second-floor window and ended up merely sore. Just like Olga Hermod said, even if I’d landed headfirst, I probably would’ve only walked away with a stiff neck.

I’d become that strong now.

“Now go back and attend your class.”

“Come to think of it, I should’ve asked this earlier, but… am I okay on attendance?”

Haven’t I missed way too many classes? At this point, no matter how many excuses I have, shouldn’t I be held back a year? I really don’t want to repeat my third year.

More than that, I just don’t want to stay at the Cradle any longer. I want to leave this filthy, dreadful capital behind and return to our safe, quiet rural territory.

“Professor Georg wrote you a recommendation letter, so you should be fine.”

“I see.”

Honestly, that’s touching.

At the end of the day, Professor Georg is the only one who consistently looks out for me.

Though the problem now is that my university application documents are in his hands. Still, I can retrieve those anytime I want.

If I crack his skull open, he’ll probably tell me where he hid them.

***

Several more days passed after that.

The atmosphere, already tense enough to explode at any moment, was reaching its limit. Part of the Imperial Knights had betrayed the Imperial Family and joined the Resistance.

Lobelia formally declared war on Emperor Abraham, and as if mocking her, Abraham hosted a lavish banquet at the Imperial Palace, inviting distinguished guests from all over.

And what a distinguished lineup it was. Every last one of them was trash.

It was almost as if he were handpicking targets for execution.

Anyone with half a brain would realize attending the banquet was dangerous.

But there was no right to refuse. Now that the Emperor had openly revealed his true nature, he had reached the point where anyone who failed to attend his banquet would simply be executed.

The corrupt nobles who had exposed themselves too early had no choice but to board the Emperor’s ship, even if they had to do so kicking and screaming.

A ship already destined to sink.

“The atmosphere’s brutal.”

“Johan, don’t think too much about that stuff. It’ll just give you a headache.”

“I’d love to, but what am I supposed to do when rumors keep forcing their way into my ears?”

You could feel a full-scale war drawing near. Until now, things had only amounted to small skirmishes, but soon something truly massive was going to erupt.

No, it would erupt.

The Emperor himself was setting the stage. He had openly chosen the timing.

“A public execution, huh……”

The fighting between the two factions hadn’t spilled as much blood as expected.

The Resistance considered only the Emperor and the corrupt nobles to be their enemies, so prisoners were treated fairly decently.

They understood that ordinary soldiers had simply been following orders.

But what about the Imperial side?

The elite forces led by the Guillotine Knights didn’t kill the Resistance fighters. Instead, they captured every last one of them and locked them away in prison.

At first glance, it almost seemed merciful.

But if the end result was public execution, then all it would do was pour fuel onto the fire.

“Doesn’t it feel like they deliberately picked people for others to come rescue?”

“I’m not interested.”

“Yeah, Yuna, I get it. This conversation isn’t fun, huh?”

“Mhmm.”

A large-scale trash cleanup.

I had no idea what would come at the end of such an extreme method.

And today, once again—

“Don’t go out.”

Yuna was blocking me from leaving the room.

That’s right. I was effectively being held under house arrest by Yuna.

The day I had feared had finally become reality.