Chapter 228 – Declaration
‘What could they possibly be talking about?’
Before I entered Kaiquilia’s bedroom, it felt like we were having a power struggle about leaving me in the Empire versus taking me to the Holy Kingdom.
What on earth had been said while I was with Minerva that led me to be in this position of having to make a choice?
“Is this really the time to say that?”
“The woman attached to your right arm requested it so. The Empress and Your Holiness may have their quarrels, but in the end, they must respect your choice. It wouldn’t be logical for us to decide arbitrarily.”
Kuuuk, the grip on my right arm tightened. I turned my head. Floretta was looking up at me with a “Did I do well?” expression. Her sparkling gaze was poking me like little needles.
“And thus, I have given you the handle. Choose, Delta. Where will you place your loyalty? Who will you devote your fidelity to?”
Kaiquilia pulled my collar towards her. My arms, gripped firmly by Floretta and Luna, were about to bury my head in Kaiquilia’s cleavage.
However, the absurd outfits of the Popes on either side didn’t seem to detract from the fact that Kaiquilia’s uniform was quite revealing as well. Her collarbone was deeply exposed from the center of her chest.
But at this moment, considerations of her bosom or her pale skin were the last things occupying my mind.
The only sensations I felt were the firm grips on my arms and the cold, shining golden pupils right in front of me.
‘……What should I say?’
Choosing only one side is no longer an option; a point I had long since dismissed. If I had intended to do that, I would have made a decision right after the Popes initiated their protests before the audience room after returning from Hell.
I had no intention of randomly expanding my relationships, but at the very least, I didn’t plan on abandoning or giving up on the women I had already formed relationships with. I was determined to somehow keep them all safe.
And only after my thoughts reached this point did I realize that I didn’t need to worry about my response.
Why should I fret over how to answer? There’s no need to lie; I could simply express my true feelings directly.
—So, are we mating now?
—Not here, Parnari.
—Mating, huh…?
—……Why do you look so disappointed?
I could hear a strange conversation from a distance but chose to ignore it. If I heard it, the Popes and Kaiquilia must have too, yet those three seemed unconcerned.
Noticing the gaze on her, Kaiquilia seemed to think I had reached a decision and let go of the collar she held. I felt the different-colored eyes focusing on me as she began to speak.
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
At my calling of Kaiquilia, a slight softness flickered across her formerly pale face.
“Are you calling me an Empress? That is—”
“It’s not the meaning you think it is.”
“……”
The softness vanished. Her expression hardened. The smile that had briefly appeared was gone, and her golden pupils were filled with hostility. The corners of her mouth turned coldly downward.
“Is that so.”
Her voice was cold enough to be compared to the middle of Antarctica.
“I understand your intentions well. You choose not the woman, but the Holy Kingdom—”
“That is also not true, Your Majesty.”
As soon as I denied the next statement, life returned to her golden eyes, making them round like Parnari’s while she was teaching me the Draconic Language.
“……What did you just say?”
It seemed she caught on to the underlying meaning within my two recent sentences.
I wasn’t choosing the Empire. Yet, I wasn’t choosing the Holy Kingdom either. Therefore, my response could only fall into one of two options.
Either to choose neither.
Or.
“I will not belong to either the Empire or the Holy Kingdom. I will embrace both Your Imperial Majesty and Your Holiness.”
By choosing both.
“You….”
Kaiquilia could not finish her sentence. The unfinished words hung in the air, and silence enveloped the debate.
Kaiquilia, who had been in front of me, stared wide-eyed, while Floretta and Luna, who were firmly squeezing my arms, were similarly frozen. The pressure on my arms slightly loosened.
Minerva, who had been listening from behind, seemed to share in their surprise, her face a mix of astonishment and intrigue. The corners of her eyes curved into a soft arc.
Only Parnari, who didn’t fully understand the significance of the titles of Empress and Pope, seemed to be floating with a question mark above her head.
“……Knight Commander of the Dark Night Order.”
After a long pause, Kaiquilia broke the silence first.
“Do you understand the weight behind your words?”
“Yes. I understand.”
I replied calmly. I was not the least bit flustered, yet the others seemed far more taken aback, as Kaiquilia’s face twisted.
“You just declared that you will embrace both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom. Do you truly think you can handle such a statement?”
“If I didn’t have that confidence, I wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place.”
I retorted evenly. Once I started, there was no way back.
“Think back on all I have done, Your Majesty.”
The bewildered expression on her face faded a little.
“Was there anyone who received the blessings of the Sun and Moon before me? Was there anyone who killed the Demon King before me? Was there anyone who found the Ancient Scroll and brought it to the Eternal Magician?”
“……”
“All those accomplishments are clustered into this one human, so why shouldn’t I be able to hold both the Empress and the Pope at the same time?”
It was an extraordinarily arrogant statement, both objectively and subjectively. However, it seemed there was no one here who thought of me as arrogant or blasphemous.
Floretta and Luna shivered at the mention of the Sun and Moon, while Minerva smiled with satisfaction and nodded at the mention of the Ancient Scroll.
Kaiquilia didn’t show any signs of denial either. If she thought it was contrary to her own views, she would have found some way to argue against it.
“Surely you will not give me up, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed, I will not.”
“I, too, will not give up. Be it Your Imperial Majesty or Your Holiness. I have no intention of abandoning either.”
What I had stated wasn’t a makeshift solution for escaping this situation, nor was it an unfounded exaggeration or an empty bravado. It was merely a declaration of my obvious choice, and the path I must walk moving forward.
Since all three of them were unwilling to give me up, and I had no intention of abandoning the women I had embraced thus far, what else could I do? I had to embrace them all.
“Delta.”
Perhaps due to the shock, a dazed Kaiquilia, was replaced by a sweet voice.
Floretta, who had not only been holding my arm but had begun resting her head on my shoulder, looked up at me with an embarrassingly shy expression.
“May I take your words at face value?”
“Correct. Floretta.”
I also changed the title I used for her. Given that our relationship was already exposed, and the Popes had indicated we no longer needed to hide, there was no point in maintaining formality.
The Popes would likely prefer this side of me more.
“……Delta.”
From the opposite side came a sweet voice as well. Luna had started resting her head on my shoulder like Floretta, looking at me with a mixture of emotions on her face.
“I’m sorry for saying this, but I must clarify. It’s not that I don’t trust you; I’m just worried for you….”
Her words trailed off slightly.
“If it were any other man, it would be fine to involve dozens or even hundreds of women. But you have stated that you intend to embrace both the Emperor of the Aiternum Empire and the Pope of the Raphael Holy Kingdom. Do you honestly believe you won’t be crushed under that weight?”
“I will.”
I replied decisively. In situations like this, I had to respond affirmatively. If I hesitated or showed any doubt, all that effort would crumble and I’d gain nothing.
Moreover, my confidence wasn’t unfounded either.
Considering I had already communicated directly with one of the deities of the Holy Kingdom and received their powers, the Holy Kingdom had no reason to refuse me. Their laws were tied to the Pope’s words, and given the state of the Popes, they would have to comply.
The only thing left was to persuade Kaiquilia. I recalled some of her behavior when she was half-conscious in bed, and it was possible to ask Minerva for assistance.
Though that would be a last resort, I could even force her onto the bed if it came down to it.
“……Heh.”
When Floretta heard my confident assertion, she beamed at me, her smile radiant and bright as if no crease ever existed across her face.
“You should! Of course, you should! A man who has declared he will embrace both of us sisters should certainly possess such ambition.”
This wasn’t just idle praise; it seemed she genuinely enjoyed the situation, appreciating the encouragement of polyandry.
“Ah, what a splendid man you are! Truly, the Sun has not erred. The Moon has not erred. You have not forgotten us, granting down to us a person worthy of such servitude.”
Unlike Floretta, who was grinning like the sun itself, Kaiquilia seemed to have returned to her usual cold and stoic demeanor, her surprise evaporating.
“Can you truly keep your word, Delta?”
It was a short question, yet it carried significant weight. Asking such a question, rather than outright opposing me, implied an unspoken acceptance.
That alone was sufficient.
“Didn’t I just say that?”
“……”
Kaiquilia gazed at me with a very complicated expression, then glanced between Floretta and Luna clinging to my sides before coming in closer.
Then, she hugged me tightly, as if to convey her affections openly.
I had never expected Kaiquilia to express such overt affection. I looked down; I couldn’t see her expression as my face was buried against her chest.
Instead, I heard muffled mutterings resonating from her chest.
“If your resolution is such, then do as you wish. However, do not underestimate the challenges ahead. Remember that.”
Thinking back to what had happened on the bed, I wondered if her words were merely bravado, but I chose to keep my mouth shut. It was much better to allow her pride to eventually deny her own statements.
With that last murmur, Kaiquilia released her embrace and turned away. Her extremely short uniform skirt and garter belt clung to her body provocatively as she walked away. Her figure grew fainter as she moved further.
Just before passing Minerva, a brief exchange occurred.
—Was it not said that if there’s a man who can handle you, she should naturally go under him? It seems the moment to keep that promise has come, my child.
—Shut up, Minerva. Be quiet.
Even as Kaiquilia’s figure disappeared completely and Minerva approached with a chuckle, the Popes continued holding my arms with joyful smiles.
“Well done, my child. What splendid ambition!”
“……Thank you, Minerva.”
“I have a question for you as well, if you don’t mind?”
“Yes?”
“As you have declared your intention to embrace both the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, would it not still be valid if a few more were added to the mix?”
“……Yes?”
A chill ran down my spine.
It’s certain that besides Kaiquilia, Floretta, and Luna, at least three more would join: Lize, Aurora, and Nix, who came over from another world just for me.
But somehow, Minerva’s words did not seem to indicate those three.
“……Why do you ask such a question, Minerva?”
“Heh. I wonder why?”
Minerva left those words and departed, followed closely by Parnari.
“Delta.”
Left alone with the two, Luna called out to me cautiously. Being called by my name after always being referred to as a distinguished guest felt strangely significant.
“What is it?”
“I have something to show you.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.