A week had passed since Ashtar’s expedition into the Demon Realm.
The news of his victory had finally reached the Kingdom of Eltia.
[Announcing! The Empire’s Duke Ashtar has marched into the Demon Realm, defeated three legions, and the saintess Olivia has captured one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Berna! The city of Crad has been reclaimed!]
It did not take long for the news to spread across the kingdom, which had grown weary from the prolonged war against the Demon King.
“So, the father, the son, and now even the granddaughter… It runs in the blood, indeed.”
King Eltia let out a sigh of relief.
“Had Ashtar been defeated, the Four Heavenly Kings might have retaliated against the kingdom for supporting him. However, with Ashtar’s victory and the recapture of Crad—the strategic foothold for an invasion of the Demon Realm—the ones now facing a crisis were the Four Heavenly Kings themselves.”
And to add to that…
“Moreover, it is said that Ashtar’s second son managed to repel Seto’s forces that attempted an invasion.”
“Rumors had it that, despite sending most of his main forces to the Demon Realm, Ashtar’s son successfully defended against Seto’s army with the remaining troops. This was an achievement that even surpassed Ashtar in his prime.”
“We must send an envoy to personally congratulate Ashtar and also dispatch a delegation to the Emperor to celebrate the Empire’s victory,” the king declared.
Ashtar had done them a great favor.
By attacking the Four Heavenly Kings of his own accord, he had forced a full-scale war.
Now that he had emerged victorious, the Four Heavenly Kings would never let this pass lightly.
“This means that war between the Four Heavenly Kings and Ashtar—no, between the Four Heavenly Kings and the Empire—is now inevitable. In the meantime, our kingdom must focus on rebuilding its strength.”
“You are correct,” the king agreed.
Now that the immediate threat had subsided, the kingdom needed to regain its power to fend off any future invasions.
***
“I would also like to meet this Olivia, Ashtar’s granddaughter,” the princess stated.
“That wouldn’t be a bad idea,” the king responded. “If she is formidable enough to have defeated Berna, then it would be beneficial for you to form an alliance with her. She could become a strong ally for our kingdom.”
The princess was already being hailed as a war hero in the kingdom.
Naturally, she was the first in line for the throne.
If she could also win the support of Olivia—the saintess who had captured one of the Four Heavenly Kings—it would further solidify her position.
Aware of this, Prince Maltiel, the second in line for succession, chose to oppose her rather than support her.
“In that case,” Maltiel interjected, “shouldn’t we have our soldiers lay down their arms and return to the fields? Every granary in the kingdom is empty. It is time to rebuild our lands and restore our resources.”
His words were not entirely wrong.
Right now, even feeding the impoverished was difficult.
Even the nobles had not had proper meals for a long time.
However, Princess Levia disagreed.
“Refilling the granaries is a simple matter. We can borrow magicians from the Empire to bless the land. Just because the Four Heavenly Kings are now focused on the Empire doesn’t mean we can afford to let our guard down.”
“The people can’t even count their dead, and the entire kingdom lies in ruins. Preparing for another war in these conditions would be suicidal! Blessing the land? Are you suggesting we rely on the Empire again?”
Maltiel was becoming increasingly frustrating.
‘Was he simply trying to obstruct her every move?’
It was clear that he coveted the throne, but the gap in merit between them was vast.
“We are allied with the Empire in this war against the Demon King. It’s not as if we’re selling our kingdom to them, so why do you oppose it so much?”
“The more we rely on the Empire, the more this kingdom will lose its independence!”
“That logic only applies to vassal states. We are equal allies. Allies help each other in times of need. Did we not secretly provide the Empire’s church with sacred texts despite the Holy Church’s objections? What is so wrong about that?”
“That’s—!”
‘Why was he acting so childish?’
At first glance, the kingdom seemed much smaller in scale compared to the Empire.
However, their alliance was one of equals.
“Enough, Levia,” the king commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You shall lead the delegation to the Empire. Offer our congratulations on their victory and assess the situation there.”
A royal decree.
While being sent as an envoy was no issue, the king’s instruction to ‘assess the situation’ was intriguing.
“By ‘situation,’ do you mean…?”
“The imperial succession. And meet Olivia as well.”
The imperial succession.
Yes, by now, discussions regarding the Empire’s next ruler must be taking place.
In other words, the king wanted her to establish relations with the future Emperor.
This was practically an endorsement of her as the kingdom’s heir.
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
She had been expecting this moment.
This was not a bad turn of events.
***
The nobles who overheard this conversation murmured amongst themselves.
“It seems His Majesty has chosen the princess as his successor.”
“Well, given her achievements, it’s only natural she becomes queen.”
“Wasn’t she close with Lord Noah as well?”
Since the kingdom had been on the brink of ruin, the nobles had scraped together their fortunes to support the war.
Now that it was nearly over, they wanted to secure their place by aligning themselves with Levia, the future queen.
One by one, they began pledging their loyalty to her.
“Tch.”
Watching this unfold, Maltiel’s expression darkened.
***
The Holy Church
News of Ashtar’s victory was delivered by the dispatched Holy Knights.
The Pope rejoiced at humanity’s triumph.
“Ashtar has even managed to reclaim Crad! Truly astonishing. This is an incredible feat.”
However, unlike the Pope, the cardinals and high priests were not entirely pleased.
“Now is not the time to be celebrating.”
“What do you mean, Cardinal? If this is not a moment of celebration, then what could possibly be one?”
If anything, they should be praising Ashtar’s achievement.
So why was the cardinal objecting?
“It was none other than the Empire’s saintess—an outsider with no connection to the Holy Church—who defeated Berna.”
“That is true.”
“A saintess from the Empire, not our own Holy Church, has triumphed over Berna. This means we can no longer afford to ignore the Empire’s sect of the Goddess.”
Indeed.
This could pose a significant problem.
Bernoa, who had been dispatched from the Holy Church to the Kingdom and Ashtar, had fallen into corruption.
And yet, it was the Empire’s saintess who defeated him.
This meant that the Holy Church’s Goddess Faith could be overshadowed by the Empire’s version of the same faith.
‘If the Goddess Faith spreads rapidly within the Empire after this incident…’
At first glance, it was a concerning matter.
After all, this was about the prestige of the Holy Church.
If the Empire’s branch of the Goddess Faith grew stronger, the authority of the Holy Church could be threatened.
“That is true.”
“We must take precautions.”
“Precautions? Was there really anything to be done? It seemed like something that could be left alone.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to just leave things as they are?”
“What?”
“The Kingdom and our Holy Church are still the main strongholds of the Goddess Faith. Even if the Empire’s saintess defeated Berna, that influence will only last temporarily. Without proper roots, it won’t endure.”
“Even if the Empire tried to spread its version of the faith, how many would truly follow?”
“History and tradition could not be ignored.”
“Even if the Empire attempted to subjugate the Holy Church by force, it could not erase the legitimacy of the church’s origins.”
“A faith that merely siphoned off money in the shadows, led by a self-serving pope and a saintess—what could it possibly achieve?”
“Hmm… This might be something we come to regret.”
‘Regret? That seemed unlikely.’
The cardinal worried too much.
But there was still an unresolved matter.
A matter that needed to be settled with the Ashtar family.
This should have been dealt with long ago.
Traveling to Ashtar’s domain had not even been part of the original plan.
Yet, with so many unexpected events unfolding, now was the time to conclude unfinished business.
***
“Before heading to the Imperial Capital, I have something to discuss,” Ashtar stated.
“Yes?”
“Your contributions this time were far too great.”
“I suppose so.”
I knew that well enough.
Because of my role in capturing Berna, I now had the authority to decide his fate.
But it wasn’t just that.
I had captured Berna and reclaimed Crad.
This marked the peak of Ashtar’s power and signified the Empire’s expansion into the Demon Realm.
In other words, Ashtar’s prime had ushered in the golden age of the Empire.
”How would they now attempt to compensate me?’
“There’s also the matter of Bernoa, but his survival benefits us as well. As for what Ashtar should give you in return… I have no idea.”
I hadn’t done any of this expecting a reward.
“Then… Could I have one of your family’s ancient records?”
The Ashtar family had a long history.
There might be something valuable to gain from their archives.
“If that is what you desire, it can be arranged.”
It was time to say something else.
“And this is something I should say now.”
“What is it?”
“Honestly, you’ve been acting overly kind to me lately, trying to make up for the past. It’s uncomfortable.”
Recently, he’d been treating me far too warmly, inviting me to meals, talking to me more than usual.
It wasn’t a simple matter of sudden kindness.
The duke was trying to bring Olivia back into the family.
The way he disregarded noble etiquette was disgraceful.
Honestly, it was irritating.
No, it was outright unpleasant.
Yet, he accepted my words with surprising composure.
He nodded, listening carefully.
“You were indifferent before. Dragging me onto the battlefield while acting differently now—it’s unsettling. I can’t hide my achievements from this mission, and this isn’t something that will end at your level. The Emperor will hear about it.”
After all, I had defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
There was no way this wouldn’t reach his ears.
The accomplishment was too great to be acknowledged only at a local level.
“…Yes, you will be recognized by the Emperor himself for defeating a Heavenly King.”
Most likely, he would grant me some strange official title again.
Or, in the worst-case scenario, I might even be given my own territory.
If I used my status as a saintess, I might be able to refuse the reward.
But no matter what, my name—Olivia—would now spread across the Empire.
“Because of the Mage Division, I will probably have to visit Ashtar’s lands frequently. But just act as you always have—indifferent.”
I didn’t want to waste my breath, but I had already proven my worth long ago.
***
“Olivia.”
The duke’s voice was unnervingly calm.
“This level of distance… That’s the best kind of relationship for us, don’t you think?”
His eyes trembled slightly at my words.
Perhaps he was regretting his past actions.
Maybe he had thought that, once this expedition was over, things would return to the way they were.
That, at the very least, we would go back to being a normal family.
“…If that is what you wish.”
He closed his eyes and nodded.
This level of detachment was good enough.
After all, he was still the head of the Ashtar family, the one who had brought Olivia into this world.
I held back the urge to punch him.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Still… If there’s ever anything you want, just say the word.”
Hmm.
That much was acceptable.
Considering how much indifference I had endured, it wouldn’t be too much to ask for material compensation.
“Olivia, I—”
This time, it was Katarina who spoke.
“Mother… Ugh, you’re so bothersome. I know you’ve been keeping tabs on me through Claire.”
Katarina’s face paled.
Honestly, it was exhausting.
Being watched by my mother all the time was getting tiresome.
If she just let Claire handle things, I’d consider that enough to count as fulfilling her role as a mother.
“If you really want to do something for me…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Hero Party’s Noelle seems to have feelings for my younger brother. Why don’t you help them get together?”
“That much should be fine, right?”
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