Calm Miragen was now unreservedly making eye contact.
What I said holds true, and my promise not to let go still stands.
Honestly, it was a shameful thing to say to myself.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve never had such an enthusiastic experience of holding onto someone.
Well… as long as Miragen has returned to normal, that’s what matters.
I chuckled softly as I looked at her sprawled out on my lap, but then sighed as I thought about the tasks ahead of me.
I confirmed Kaitel’s intention to kill Adele.
If I refuse to cooperate like this, all the trust I’ve built up will vanish.
The expression of my contemplation darkened gradually, but looking at Miragen below me, I felt a little relieved.
She seemed to be sleeping, judging by her soft breaths.
After crying so much earlier, it’s no wonder she’s tired.
I had worried she might collapse, but thankfully, she was quietly resting against me.
Now, the end is truly approaching.
Whether or not it’s the end I desire is uncertain, but surely the moment I save Adele, Kaitel will make a move.
After that, the real plan to bring down the Emperor will begin. Dealing with Miragen will be a task for autumn.
There’s still plenty of time left, so I have enough time to prepare for the “things to come.”
I probably won’t be able to contact Miragen for a while.
If I try to reach out and get caught, it would be dangerous in many ways, not to mention I can’t head north while hearing such orders.
“…I’m going to be hated.”
Just one missed contact would have her charging all the way to the Center, but I just hope she doesn’t come until our plan is completed.
Still, it would be good to send something that she can somewhat catch onto.
I lowered Miragen’s head and slowly got up, heading towards the window. If my memory serves me right, there should be an imperial courier around.
Creeeak—
As I whistled, the sound of flapping wings quickly followed.
I’ve used the imperial courier a few times, so I know it well.
It felt strangely nostalgic that some things haven’t changed, but the content I was sending was to ensure Miragen doesn’t come to the Emperor’s capital.
The one who was to receive this was Lothos.
It feels a bit burdensome to assign him so many tasks, but there would be no one in the North who could understand this besides Lothos.
I can’t reveal everything I’m planning, that I’ve reincarnated.
However, after considering it over and over, Lothos is undoubtedly the only one capable of understanding this code and informing Adele.
The only person qualified to inform this is definitely Lothos, no matter how much I think about it.
“It needs to be delivered well.”
It might go beyond just being disliked to become an object of hate. But it was a necessary task.
Even though I finished Miragen’s task, there were still walls in place, and this challenge might be even harder than directly catching a dead dragon.
“To Lothos.”
Inserting the letter into the bird’s leg, I pour magic power into it. The magic covering the bird gradually merges it with the sky, making it hard for anyone to notice until the letter is received.
I could keep in touch with Adele, but the most important point in the plan I set up was that everything should feel natural until the very end.
The reason I’m pushing myself to send this letter is to mimic that naturalness, isn’t it?
Wiping my dry face, I gaze at the sky.
Before I knew it, the faint presence of the bird, now completely merged with the sky, was starting to disappear behind the sunlight.
Everything starts today.
Hearing about Miragen’s task, and declaring to kill Adele with Kaitel was also today.
However, I couldn’t afford to delay time. If I don’t act quickly, Adele will die.
Even if I manage to save Adele, I doubt I can smoothly progress Miragen becoming the Emperor.
Preparation.
Building stages for everything and practicing to move forward.
At the end of spring, the wind was starting to blow warmly.
The wind no longer blew from the North.
The pure white snow that covered the world perfectly vanished, as if it were just a fleeting dream, and the world began to be tinted green once again.
Flowers bloom, dense grass sprouts on the trees. As the sky rises and the sun hangs at its highest,
that would be the moment for everything to begin anew.
I placed a blanket over Miragen’s shoulder while she slept, chuckling softly as I glanced out the window once more.
#
It seemed that the letter sent to Adele was delivered well without a hitch.
With this, there wouldn’t be any contact between us until autumn.
I headed to the Moon Tower to inform Adrian that plans had to start moving gradually.
“It seems the concerns I had turned out well.”
“Right? Well… for now, Miragen accepted it well.”
If Miragen had kept blaming herself until the end, it would have been tough in many ways. Luckily, she quickly understood my intentions and accepted that she had to become the Emperor surprisingly calmly.
I was surprisingly calm about the need to become what I needed to be.
Miragen’s concerns about her status were simply worries about being completely cast aside since Kaitel became the Emperor; it was not about wielding power.
However, the fact that Kaitel had killed me and the emotions that had accumulated from witnessing it several times had turned into hatred.
When I heard the talk of trying to kill Kaitel, instead of being shocked, I thought it was only natural.
Miragen had also figured out a lot about the Dead Dragon and the masked ones.
It was clear that she lamented how there were too many things the royal family didn’t know.
After pondering for a moment, Adrian tossed out another topic as soon as Miragen finished speaking.
It was the issue regarding Adele. She already knew Kaitel was trying to kill her; the real problem was how to save her.
“We need to prevent Adele from going to the royal family.”
“Because once Adele arrives at the royal family, we’ll have to fight Kaitel right away.”
However, I doubted that Kaitel would call Adele to the royal family this time either. Unlike before, Adele had refused to appear in the center and intended to stay in the North for the time being.
“There’s a big chance he’ll send an extermination squad.”
“I think there’s a high probability that a person named Cain will go. And if we add someone else to that.”
Pointing at me with his finger, Adrian stared at me intently. This was what I was aiming for.
The plan wouldn’t work unless I went; even if Kaitel didn’t send me, I was determined to head to the North somehow.
After hearing my explanation, Adrian nodded as if it made sense.
If this goes as planned, it would also significantly help in organizing Cain and his loyal followers under the assumption that the situation unfolds naturally.
But thinking everything would go according to plan would be a big mistake.
If we saved Adele, we would certainly become enemies with Kaitel within a week, and afterwards… I was convinced we would surely face something related to the Dead Dragon.
“You know that the Minotaurus isn’t the only Demon we’ve seen, right?”
“…That’s true. There’s still a long way to go.”
Excluding the Minotaurus, there are three more. With our current power, it’s uncertain if we could fight an recovered Minotaurus on equal footing.
Considering we also need to think about the Dead Dragon, I wasn’t satisfied with merely the power of a swordsman.
Fortunately, having seen the light once helped. Although I only had about four months left, that was enough to rapidly boost my strength to reach a wall.
“You probably won’t see him for a while. We need to prepare; it would basically be like a training retreat.”
“If it’s a training retreat, have you prepared the location?”
“Are you ready for this?”
“…It’s not that, but I do have a place in mind.”
“Then I can help! We can open the basement of the Moon Tower. No paladin would suspect it, since you’re my dear friend.”
Hearing about the offer to help, Adrian tilted his head and began explaining the space below.
It’s a place only the Saint can enter, but with the energy flowing through me, it could mix with the divine power the Saint possesses.
“Then, I appreciate it, but are you really okay with this?”
There are bound to be some who will think it odd for me to go down there. Recently, I’ve had more interactions with the Saint, and I’ve heard complaints about her associating with men.
When I worriedly asked if it was truly okay, Adrian smiled reassuringly.
“It’s fine. I’m not one to care about others’ gazes anyway, and their opinion won’t affect me. Besides, I’m a Saint directly acknowledged by God.”
And then—
She lowered her voice a little, adding with a slightly mischievous smile.
“I actually don’t dislike that kind of misunderstanding. Rather, I might secretly want it. We’re friends, after all.”
“…I guess so.”
Though the meaning of that friendship is quite impure. Regardless, it seems she isn’t thinking of crossing any lines for now.
The discomfort she showed while talking about Miragen was clear enough for me to understand what she thought of me.
However, I surely need to think about how to untangle this complex triangle—no, quadrangle—of relationships.
If I were to die, these women would undoubtedly be devastated.
It’s not easy to change one’s mind, and if I were to leave, they would undoubtedly chase after me.
Countless reincarnations have led me to wander across the continent, and at the same time, became good evidence for tightening the encirclement.
If Adele or Adrian decides to look for me, it wouldn’t take long to find me, no matter where I hide.
Wryly smiling as I avoided Adrian’s gaze, she returned to her usual expression and stood up.
Reaching out her hand to me, there was a hint of joy in her voice as she offered to guide me to the basement.
…Yeah, I guess this could be fine for now.
“Then let’s go.”
While I’m here, it wouldn’t hurt to keep Adrian happy. She seemed quite upset earlier, after all.
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