Chapter 65: A good turn Part 2

The time for the royal tour had come.

When I asked the Emperor, he actually gave permission.

“Just carry out the tour well and return.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means that Ashtar and Rivelte always end up quarreling whenever they meet. He thinks everyone is as reckless as him.”

No matter what, I am still a noblewoman by birth.

And on top of that, I am a saintess.

I don’t lose my temper just because the other party happens to be a rival, competitor, or from a family of enemies.

Ashtar and I have a cooperative relationship.

It doesn’t even feel like a family connection.

***

In any case, the participants for this tour were seated in front of Aslan.

“Well then, let’s have everyone introduce themselves.”

“Balen Rivelte. Looking forward to working together.”

Balen Rivelte. True to his military family, he has a wild aura about him.

I saw him back during Noah’s time, but he’s just as unlikeable now as he was then.

“I’m Yuria, a commoner serving as secretary of the student council.”

“I’m Raileur from the Plant family.”

Oh, even Raileur is here.

“I’m Sharial, from the Great Forest. My sister is part of the Hero’s Party! I may look young, but that’s just because I’m an elf. I’ve been around for over fifty years, so don’t think I’m as young as I look!”

“Huh?”

If her sister is in the Hero’s Party, then she must be Ella.

I suddenly feel like I’ve been conned.

[Hey, just be honest. You’re an elf. You’re over a hundred years old, aren’t you? And now you want to cozy up to young guys despite your age?]

[Hah! Don’t be ridiculous. I’m in my mid-twenties!]

‘Isn’t she clearly over fifty? So basically, she’s over fifty but lying about her age to seduce a fresh-faced hero in his twenties? That’s just shameless. And to make matters worse, Hero Eugene doesn’t even consider women over thirty as women. Or is it that as long as they look fine on the outside, it doesn’t matter? Whatever, it’s his problem, not mine.’

“Olivia Rapha Ashtar.”

I bowed my head slightly.

Right now, it seemed better to greet them as “Ashtar’s daughter” rather than “saintess.”

“Huh, so the saintess is Ashtar’s daughter?”

Balen muttered this while glaring at me unpleasantly, as though appraising me like some sort of object.

This is seriously getting on my nerves.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“How could such a hypocrite like Ashtar produce a saintess?”

“An intense surge of irritation welled up inside me.”

“I felt I had to say something or my stomach would twist in knots.”

“And I didn’t expect the stubborn Rivelte family, so obsessed with cavalry, to send an heir to Atleina. Sure, cavalry is still effective on the battlefield, but your narrow-mindedness and delusions of being gods of war have always annoyed me.”

“The cavalry of Rivelte is invincible. You’re just ignorant of military matters because you’re a mere woman. Are you suggesting that some firearm troops could defeat the Rivelte cavalry?”

As expected, he responded like that.

‘Did he think I wouldn’t have a retort?’

“Invincible, huh? Charging recklessly into a barrage of bullets from gunners—do you really think that would work?”

“Lady! Young Master of Rivelte! This is not the place for a fight!”

“Let me go! I’m going to teach that person a lesson—”

I was just about to engage in a full-blown argument when Claire stepped in to stop us.

‘Ah, now I get why they’re my enemies. This is deeply ingrained hatred. Noah’s impression of Rivelte, Balen, and the long-standing animosity between Ashtar and Rivelte are all intertwined here.’

Eventually, it was Syria who stepped in to mediate and put an end to the squabble.

“Seriously, Ashtar and Rivelte still don’t get along, huh?”

“It seems His Highness the Crown Prince arranged this meeting to foster unity between the two families, but I doubt that’s going to happen.”

Balen spoke curtly to Aslan.

‘Was Aslan trying to include both Ashtar and Rivelte under his influence?’

Rivelte is a semi-autonomous power.

Though technically under the empire’s banner, if Aslan intends to bring Rivelte fully under imperial control, this could lead to trouble.

After all, Rivelte has never truly belonged to any emperor.

***

“I’m Syria, the next master of the Magic Tower. I look forward to working with everyone during the tour.”

“I’m Claire, a maid from the Ashtar family.”

Syria and Claire’s introductions were brief.

The group was comprised of the Crown Prince and his aides, the lone wolf Rivelte, the curious elf, and me with my companions Claire and Syria.

There’s no room for camaraderie here, which is just fine by me.

Once introductions were finished, the Crown Prince pulled out a map from his belongings.

“Now, I’ll explain the tour route.”

“Aslan pointed to various locations on a map of the empire, starting from the capital. The first place we would pass through was Ashtar’s territory. Because of its size, we would have to pass through Ashtar’s land to head east. Judging by the route, it seemed like we might encounter areas affected by the Four Heavenly Kings.”

“Hm, does this route take us through Ashtar’s territory?”

“Yes, but we’ll only pass through. There’s no need to meet the Ashtar lord. This tour is purely for ceremonial purposes, not politics.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

If we had to visit the Ashtar estate, that would be a hassle.

It would mean meeting the head of the Ashtar family.

“For now, we’ll cross through Ashtar’s territory and head toward the border.”

“To the border?”

“Yes. For now, we plan to prioritize areas affected by the Four Heavenly Kings.”

“You’re quite bold, aren’t you? This doesn’t seem like it’s just about gaining public favor. What are you going to do if one of the Four Heavenly Kings appears? Even I can’t guarantee victory against them yet.”

“Your Highness, what if the Four Heavenly Kings do show up?”

“Don’t worry, Yuria. I believe this is necessary to erase the stigma of being the prince who was seduced by a succubus.”

“Understood.”

The prince brushed off Yuria’s concerns.

Right now, Yuria’s words seemed reasonable to me.

If that’s the case, taking things slow might be better.

Not only do we need to worry about the nobles, but we also need to prepare for the possibility of encountering the Four Heavenly Kings.

I’ll be fine.

At the very least, I can guarantee my survival.

The problem is Aslan.

Although Aslan isn’t an ordinary individual, he’s nowhere near the level of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Even Eugene, one of the strongest humans, was defeated by Pector.

And Aslan? It’s impossible.

“Taking it slow wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“Olivia, what do you mean?”

“Well, the Four Heavenly Kings might show up. The Demon King’s army wants the empire to collapse, and if the Crown Prince, a former heir, were to fall into their hands, what do you think would happen?”

The Four Heavenly Kings aren’t fools.

They’re intelligent.

In other words, they’d realize the significance of capturing a former crown prince like Aslan.

“Hmm. Are you saying it’s dangerous?”

“Yes. So let’s proceed carefully.”

‘If you get captured, people will brand you even more incompetent than they already do. And naturally, the empire will fall into chaos.’

“If I’m in danger, doesn’t that mean the people are in danger too?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“How could I abandon my subjects? Olivia, I understand your concern, but I hope you’ll restrain yourself.”

‘Damn it. I’d love to hold back, but do you realize how much chaos your capture would cause in the empire?’

Perhaps getting some protection from Ashtar’s knights along the way wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“Then at the very least, let’s depart quietly.”

“Hmm? Why? To leave an impression on the commoners, shouldn’t it be a bit more grand?”

“Are you going to deck yourself out, announce your departure from the capital in a flashy manner, and parade around like some hero’s party?”

I vented my frustration at Aslan.

“If you’re so concerned about the commoners, why are you so fixated on these theatrics?”

“Olivia, how dare you speak to His Highness so rudely!”

“This isn’t about manners or respect anymore.”

“Well, I think Ashtar has a point. Isn’t His Highness aiming to win over public sentiment? If that’s the goal, announcing a grand departure from the capital might just make it seem like another pointless act by the upper class.”

Even Balen Rivelte agreed with me for once.

“Isn’t that a bit much? Balen, I understand that Rivelte prides itself on its military prowess, but His Highness is still the empire’s first prince.”

Raileur naturally took the prince’s side, as expected.

‘First prince, huh? He’s the prince who relinquished the title of crown prince just recently, all because of that succubus scandal.’

“Balen!”

Balen’s words were blunt but accurate.

This isn’t the time to display blind loyalty like Raileur.

“For this occasion, I must agree with Rivelte’s heir. Making things too conspicuous would be risky.”

“But shouldn’t the tour be publicized? Wouldn’t it be better if the entire empire knew?”

‘This Raileur guy is seriously lacking in brains.’

“No, that’s exactly what we should avoid.”

“Then what?”

“These things are best spread subtly. I’ll send out people to circulate rumors across the empire, saying that Prince Aslan is secretly visiting regions affected by the Demon King’s army.”

It’s infuriating that I have to step in, but there’s no other choice.

“That doesn’t sound bad. I agree with Olivia’s suggestion.”

“Isn’t that too sneaky?”

‘Sneaky, my ass. If you call this sneaky, then Parliament wouldn’t even exist. They’ve done far worse.’

“Sneaky? This is politics. It’s about survival. Broadcasting our plans loudly will only increase the risks.”

‘It’ll just create unnecessary headaches.’

“Hmm. I suppose that makes sense. Balen, what do you think?”

“I’m against drawing too much attention.”

“And the elf?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t mind either way.”

‘She’s just going with the flow. She seems so different from her sister.’

Aslan is too honest for his own good.

He must hate the idea of secretly spreading rumors about his tour.

But he also wants the commoners to recognize his efforts.

“So, do you plan to announce, ‘The former crown prince is traveling to assess the public’s sentiment! Everyone, take notice!’? Do you think that will actually work?”

“Hmm.”

‘If anything, it’d backfire.’

“Isn’t it obvious? This is a no-win situation. There are bound to be people targeting His Highness.”

“Is that so? Even so, I’d like to proceed honorably.”

‘This is so frustrating I could scream.’

“In this day and age, honor is meaningless. Just do it my way, okay?”

“Were you always this blunt?”

‘At this point, even Syria knows. Do you think I care?’

If people notice, they notice. If they don’t, they don’t. It doesn’t matter.

After all, no one here is directly connected to Noah.

Well, except for one person.

I glanced subtly at Balen.

That guy… I’ve only exchanged a few words with him.

It should be fine.

“People always tied me down before. This is who I’ve always been. Anyway, if you don’t want to get ambushed, you’d better listen to me.”

“Understood.”

I signaled to the nuns standing behind me.

“Sisters, I’m counting on you.”

“This is exactly what the nuns are here for.”

“The three sisters dispersed to carry out my orders.”

“They, along with some assassin guild nuns, would quietly spread the word about Prince Aslan’s covert tour.”

“Even this subtle approach should be enough to win over the commoners.”

Aslan, watching the disappearing nuns, turned to me and asked, “Were those ladies really nuns?”

Raileur and Yuria also looked curious.

“Yes, they are.”

“They didn’t seem like nuns…”

“They are nuns.”

‘Damn it, stop doubting me.’