Pa-da.
The heavy rain outside gradually subsided. Thick clouds slowly receded under the gentle breeze, and slivers of light faintly seeped through, spilling onto the earth.
Green stretched lazily.
“So exhausting.”
Serving as a bard—in truth, more as a subordinate—was an entirely new experience for Green.
Whether it was the paladin of his first life simulation, or the lord-administrator of the second, Green had always been the one leading, or even the leader himself.
“But this time, I’m an aide, a strategist offering counsel from behind the scenes.”
Setting aside the adventurer’s log, Green stood up from his chair.
“Still, convincing one’s liege isn’t something I’m entirely unfamiliar with in real life.”
Once more, faces from his old employer, the Star-Moon Adventurer Party—the pampered young ladies, some spoiled, some harboring ulterior motives—floated through Green’s mind.
“Compared to them, Her Highness Theresa is simply too easy to get along with.”
With that thought, Green dispelled the last trace of doubt in his heart.
“From this, it’s clear that although both are imperial princesses, Her Highness Theresa and that Iron-Blood Empress Angelica are worlds apart in temperament.”
He recalled their first meeting, those numb, bewildered, lifeless violet eyes.
He remembered, within the fortress, how even as the highest commander, her words carried less weight than those of a quartermaster.
Green was certain—this princess, though full of passion and enthusiasm, was actually quite naïve and a bit innocent. There was no way she could be the renowned Iron-Blood Empress who cleansed the Empire of its rot.
“Still, people always change. If Theresa truly aims for the throne, she must change herself.”
That was Green’s analysis.
Theresa was not a suitable heir. Green had sensed this sharply.
She had unparalleled sincerity, but sadly, in the brutal struggle for the throne, conscience, morality, and dreams—those beautiful ideals—were no match for the schemes of reality.
“After all, the gravity of reality is too heavy. No dream can soar freely before the imperial throne.”
A caged bird never simply refers to a princess stripped of her succession rights and trapped in a remote fortress.
“In truth, isn’t everyone in this world a bird imprisoned by the cage of reality?”
From the guild’s rich library, Green had found much useful material, covering every field imaginable.
History, politics, military, commerce, diplomacy, intelligence…
No wonder the guild’s library spanned the entire continent. Unlike the outside world’s printed publications, which bordered on propaganda, here were firsthand notes, decrees, bulletins, and records from those who lived through it.
Those parchment scrolls that only historians seemed to care about were, in Green’s eyes, treasures of immeasurable worth.
“To cultivate a worthy empress?”
An idea had already formed in Green’s mind. “Let’s see… there it is!”
He opened a long-forgotten, dust-covered, yellowed old tome unearthed from a corner.
[Kingmaker].
“People say that the Iron-Blood Empress Angelica’s achievements were simply a case of heroes rising in troubled times, but the Adventurer’s Guild had chronicled her extraordinariness early on.”
Green gently brushed the dust from the cover with his fingers.
“Few know that her rise wasn’t luck; many worked behind the scenes for her, like the empress’s chief steward, Lady Anna.”
This very book was painstakingly compiled by the Adventurer’s Guild from all sorts of firsthand sources.
“Though it’s a parallel world, there are quite a few similarities between the two.”
Green’s eyes sparkled. “To personally cultivate a peerless empress? That is indeed an intriguing challenge.”
Speaking of which.
Green suddenly set the book aside as if struck by a thought. “If I recall, Saintess Sophia from the adventurer party idolized Her Majesty the Empress, didn’t she?”
“I remember her mentioning that the empress was planning to work with the Hero to discuss how to deal with the Demon King who broke the armistice?”
Iron-Blood Empress, Hero, Demon King…
“Forget it. What do those grand matters have to do with a humble Adventurer’s Guild advisor earning three thousand silver a month?”
Green shrugged. “I’d best complete the life simulation quest quickly, lift this soul curse, and pay off what I owe Freya.”
With that, he quietly began to read the thick historical account.
Crow Town, Life Tavern.
“So, Freya, what’s our next move?”
The tavern was packed with a dejected crowd.
After the Hero Party selection at the ruins, a large number of previously illustrious, self-proclaimed elite adventurer parties suffered a crushing blow.
The Star-Moon Adventurer Party was among them.
This group of confident young ladies had risen from obscurity to become a five-star party known throughout the land, never tasting defeat.
But now, they couldn’t even succeed in a ruins challenge that might not even be four-star difficulty?
Impossible.
At least, Lucy, acknowledged genius of the Mage’s Council, couldn’t accept such an outcome.
The word “failure” simply shouldn’t exist in my dictionary.
Freya the idiot had almost scared Green away…
And that damned branch president woman too.
“This time, I underestimated the enemy.” Lady Freya, the duke’s daughter, admitted her mistake for once, nodding with reserved dignity, then immediately defended herself, “But one failed expedition proves nothing.”
“In the end, this selection had huge limitations.” Freya asserted confidently, “To face the Demon King, what’s needed is overwhelming strength—a righteous, open victory, not tricks and schemes.”
“Otherwise, how would we be any different from that Demon King who summoned endless monsters and caused a Magic Disaster?”
Freya righteously presented her views to her teammates. Her snowy skin tinged with excitement, she murmured as if recalling something, “You all know, like when I was kidnapped by the Wither Cult as a child, and the Hero personally wiped out their entire army!”
“That overwhelming, absolute power…”
“But wasn’t this selection’s standard set by her?”
Saintess Sophia rolled her eyes. “If you ask me, we shouldn’t be so fixated on joining the Hero Party. Clearly, the Imperial Expeditionary Army is the better choice.”
When the Empire was mentioned, Sophia’s face changed; her serene beauty took on an air of reverent longing.
“Eradicating corruption and, in an instant, transforming a weathered old kingdom—sweeping through the land and conquering countless territories.”
Sophia paused, then spoke with near-fanatic fervor, “But most importantly, it’s that pure, unsullied, sacred bloodline of royalty.”
“Compared to that, Freya, your Hero is just from some backwater border town, right?”
At that, Sophia sighed. “That’s why, after reaching a high position, she can’t help but be limited—so she cares more about things like logistics and intelligence than direct power.”
“You!”
Hearing her idol “slandered,” Freya’s face turned stern, about to argue. Her full chest heaved, accentuating her alluring curves.
Bang.
Just as the two were about to clash, the tavern door burst open.
“Hey, have you heard? The Imperial Royal Envoy delegation is here, and their representative is none other than the famous Lady Anna!”
“Lady Anna? You mean that Anna, called the Empress’s Shadow? Why would such a big shot visit a tiny town like this?”
“I heard she’s here to discuss cooperation with the Hero to subjugate the Demon King on behalf of the Empire, and… she’s also recruiting. Which means, we still have a chance!”
The gloom in the tavern was swept away.
Anyone invited to the Hero selection was already famed outside.
Now, to leave as failures—who could accept that?
With a new “second chance” before them, how could they not be tempted?
“Freya?” Sophia looked at the duke’s daughter with a hint of pride.
“Hmph. Let’s go see for ourselves.”
The duke’s daughter stood, heading straight out of the tavern.
Lucy and Sophia exchanged glances and hurried after her.
Thus, the Star-Moon Adventurer Party joined the throng at the town square.
“That’s Lady Anna?” Freya gazed from afar, seeing a dazzling, elegant matron in ornate dress and a warm, gentle smile approach the Hero intimately.
“Lady Anna, allow me to pay my respects.”
The Hero nodded courteously, her face hidden by a cloak, yet radiating a heroic aura.
“No, no. To have the honor of meeting the famed Hero is my good fortune.”
Lady Anna executed a graceful curtsy.
Hm?
Though the two appeared entirely normal, Freya couldn’t shake the feeling that the Hero’s attention wasn’t actually on the imperial envoy.
Instead…
It was on the breathtakingly beautiful maid beside the envoy.
Clearly just a servant, but for some reason, Freya sensed an innate authority from her.
As if… as if it was that “overlord’s aura” Sophia chattered about endlessly?
Pfft.
How could that be?
Freya examined the maid closely. The maid’s eyes, though enchanting, were plainly an ordinary blue.
Everyone knew—the Empire’s Iron-Blood Empress had noble, sacred violet eyes, symbol of the True Dragon’s Blood.
“Madam Envoy, and… miss, you’re here for him, aren’t you?”
For some reason, the Hero abruptly posed a baffling question to Lady Anna.
“Um…” Lady Anna froze for a moment, then with a forced smile, as if someone had flipped a switch, replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Green.”
Denying Lady Anna any chance to dodge, the Hero strode up and lowered her voice, “I saw the Demon King.”
Narrowing her eyes, the Hero’s volume was low, but her presence was overwhelming.
“Godfather’s soul curse.” She spoke so only Anna and the maid could hear. “Your Majesty, you’ve hidden yourself well, but since you’ve dared appear before me in person, why all the secrecy?”
“Hehe.”
The maid beside Anna laughed softly. For a moment, everyone in the vast square—male or female—couldn’t look away, their minds going blank, even the highest professionals.
Just as when the Demon King had recently visited the Life Tavern.
“Miss Hero.” The maid gently pulled down the Hero’s cloak, revealing a young, delicate face to the sunlight. “With your cloak on, do you really have the right to scold me?”
“Hmph!” The Hero, Alice, retorted with a hint of anger, “I’m only following Godfather’s teachings.”
“…” For some reason, at the mention of “Godfather’s teachings,” the maid’s mischievous face grew solemn.
“So am I, Alice.”
The Iron-Blood Empress, Her Majesty Angelica, sighed softly with deep eyes. “Green taught me a lot too.”
The Empress gently caressed an old medal in her hand, her gaze full of reminiscence. “For example, the true outcome of a war isn’t decided on the battlefield—it’s already determined by logistics and strategy. The battlefield is only the final result.”
“But this isn’t the place to talk. There are eyes everywhere.”
Buzz——
In a flash, several figures vanished from the square.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
Life returned to the square.
Yet it seemed no one realized what had happened. Their memories appeared to have been altered, and they dispersed naturally.
As if nothing had occurred.
“Green?”
Yet some top professionals still remembered something, though not in its original form.
“No way, it must just be someone with the same name, right?”
Freya bit her lip. “That’s right. The Hero values highly the strategist who can defeat the Demon King. There’s no way it could be… that useless, unregistered layabout Green!”
As if confirming, or perhaps comforting herself, Freya stomped her foot hard.