Ruins of Demon King Castle.
A man and a woman walked side by side, chatting and laughing together.
The atmosphere between them was much more harmonious than before.
Without the System, it felt as if a lot had changed, and yet, as if nothing had changed at all.
Faced with such a considerate and understanding woman, every word she spoke seemed to strike right at his heart.
Though Sig remained outwardly calm, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of joy inside.
He gave a faint smile, and even found himself looking at her with more and more fondness.
He had no objections to the plan she had laid out; it seemed fine to him. If it worked, then so be it—what else was there to say?
After all, professional matters should be left to the professionals; he had no intention of interfering recklessly.
Don’t have the ability? Then the best choice is not to cause trouble.
Listening to these plans, he couldn’t help but look forward to the future development of their territory.
Suddenly, a clever idea popped into his mind—one he hadn’t dared consider before.
The reason he hadn’t dared before was Emilia; and now, the reason he dared was still Emilia. What a sinful woman she was.
It was a bit of a digression, admittedly somewhat unrealistic, but people have to dream. Even if it’s impractical, a good fantasy is still worth having.
Who knows—maybe thinking about it will make it come true.
“By the way, Emilia, did you get the Napoleon Script or something? I’m not just saying this—you see how the Imperial People welcome you, how much they look forward to you. How about I go back to the Empire with you? With just a rallying cry, any slogan to ‘cleanse the Emperor’s side,’ and everyone would respond. If I support you as the new Emperor of the Empire, wouldn’t that be far better than slowly developing here?”
“Mm, are you serious?”
Such a strange idea made the girl pause, stopping in her tracks and turning to the side.
Her blood-red eyes reflected the man before her, who showed no sign of joking. Seeing this, she couldn’t help but ponder deeply.
The blazing sun shone on her silver hair.
She lowered her head slightly, a hint of confusion on her delicate face, her rosy lips parting as she finally gave a proper answer after a long moment—an answer roughly calculated based on the current information and situation.
Though not entirely accurate, it was probably close enough.
“Though I don’t want to go back, according to your thinking, it’s not impossible. But the Empire is still rotten. All the measures I once implemented have been abolished; the Nobles and the Church have regained the upper hand, and the people are ignorant. By then, I’ll have no one available to use, and would need a lot of time to rebuild my forces. Perhaps by gradually winning over every faction I can, letting them take root throughout the Empire, I could then proceed with the next step of reform. But I can no longer fool the Nobles or the Church to buy us time for development in the Empire. After all, I used that trick once already—they’re not fools, they won’t let me do as I please again. Can you hold back the counterattack from the Nobles? They’ll fight to the death. Are you confident, Sig?”
She finished in one breath, but felt that it was probably impossible. What’s more, the Empire’s crisis was not limited to this. She continued to analyze seriously, her reasoning clear and logical.
“Even if you could suppress the Nobles, it wouldn’t be enough. We’d still have to face the crisis of the Enemy Nation’s invasion. Eight times out of ten, the Nobles and the Church wouldn’t lift a finger. I heard the Empire has reformed the National Army, but they’re just a ragtag group—likely to shatter at the first blow. That means you’d have to stand alone against the entire army. Sig, it’s not that I want to pressure you, but I have no power. Even if I want to help, I can’t.”
“…….”
After listening to her analysis, Sig took a deep breath and looked silently at the Ruins of Demon King Castle.
In that instant, he felt that this place was pretty good—at least there were no annoying people, and no great pressure.
Developing slowly really is the way to go. Shooting straight to the top is just too hard.
What does it mean to take on all the Nobles and the Church of the Empire? What does it mean to face a whole army? Damn it.
Maybe the old me could’ve done it—or maybe not. After all, one person has their limits. Looking down at his own skinny arms and legs, he thought, never mind.
With just one spit from each person, I might drown.
His tone was very calm as he spoke next, not saying much more.
“Understood, understood. Emilia, I get that you’re trying to say the Empire is about to sink, and there’s no need for me to board a sinking ship. If things are really as you say, then all things considered, it’s better here—pleasant scenery, beautiful views.”
He looked around the surroundings as he finished, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I guess so.”
“Yeah, that’s about right. The era of the Empire should end. I… I’m not regretful, just a little at a loss, I suppose.”
She nodded, her expression showing a faint sadness—perhaps recalling the Empire’s former glory. How was her Foster Mother now?
Even if she no longer wanted to care about the Empire, it was only natural to feel nostalgic. Her words contained no refutation, for it was simply the truth.
Unexpectedly, when Sig saw this scene, he shrugged. War wasn’t right, and the after-effects of betrayal had come again. He leaned closer, his body tilting toward her small face, staring straight at her.
His gaze burned, as if it could ignite everything.
“What’s wrong? Seeing you like this, are you thinking about the good old days of the Empire again? About to switch sides again…?”
“No, no. I’m just a bit concerned about my Foster Mother, that’s all. I long ago stopped having any feelings for the Empire. It’s just that my Foster Mother—she’s a good person. She always took care of me. The thought that she might suffer from war, from the Nobles, or even from the villagers simply because she doesn’t want to leave the Empire, makes me feel bad.”
After all, her slender hands pressed to her chest, expressing her sincerity. In her heart, only Sig remained. For him, she would destroy the world without regret.
As for going home, that was up to fate. Still, people inevitably have feelings.
Seeing this, Sig was a bit confused. Wasn’t this a simple problem? He’d made a mistake once before, and didn’t want the girl before him to make the same one.
It was because, more than ten years ago, he didn’t bring her to his side immediately, but instead respected her wish to stay with Gerard, that a series of failures began.
Sometimes, you just have to be forceful and unreasonable.
“That’s simple. I’ll just bring her here. I know you care about her feelings and want to respect her wish to stay, but I don’t care. I only care about you.”
He paused, feeling it sounded a bit too intimate, and cleared his throat.
“I just want you to have nothing to worry about, so you won’t cause me trouble later. If there’s anything in the Empire you’re concerned about, just tell me—I’ll handle it for you.”
The girl’s eyes lit up at that, believing every word. She hugged his head and pressed it into her proud chest, expressing her gratitude—after all, having someone willing to help was truly wonderful.
“Thank you, Sig. Thank you for being willing to be the bad guy for me. I’ll leave my Foster Mother to you—bring her over, and I’ll explain things to her. I’m still a little worried about the children at the Orphanage. Do you think you could…”
Because of the Saintess’s habit, she pressed her slender hands together in front of her, lips parting as her words trailed off. She felt she was asking too much, but for the sake of having no worries, she shamelessly said it anyway.
“……”
Ugh, I’m dying, I’m dying—Sig was wrapped up in her ample chest, soft and fragrant, making it hard to breathe. Yet he couldn’t help but enjoy the moment.
In the end, his left brain attacked his right, and he completely passed out.