Chapter 711 – Someone’s Rest, Someone’s Hardship (7)
—
Lee Eunsol
Three days had passed since our descent.
During this time, I had a vague understanding of the newly acquired ‘Noblesse Oblige’ and what kind of power it was.
“From now on, your name will be… Flora—”
“Unnie, you already named her that yesterday.”
“David—”
“Agent, David exists already.”
“… Let’s call her Timothy.”
I was in a situation where I had conquered so many Is subtypes I was confused about naming them.
Since some time ago, Songi had been showing curiosity.
“Is there really no limit to the numbers?”
“Number limits?”
“I’ve managed to subdue entities numbering over three digits, yet there seems to be no restrictions.”
“It isn’t that kind of power.”
“Really?”
“A medieval king wouldn’t count how many subjects they had to control, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Slowly, my understanding of Noblesse Oblige deepened.
Initially, I tried to use it like this:
Condition: Grace -> Result: Obedience
Before long, I realized I was repeating the same mistakes of my past.
Think about how the HP Market’s potential was damaged by my narrow perception!
It had already been a mediocre ability worth 20 to 30 out of 100, and now it had degraded to a pathetic level of under 5, all because of my mindset.
It was way too long since HP Market had declined, making recovery almost impossible.
The prior perception had damaged the potential of the ability, and I’ve used it for so long in that damaged state.
But the newfound ability could still be corrected.
“Don’t distort it; accept it as it is.”
“Unnie?”
“Oh, just thinking to myself for a moment.”
Condition: Duty -> Result: Nobility
There’s no need to add a separate interpretation to that.
We must take the abstract concept given by the sponsor as is.
While I was at this point, adjusting back to the situation in Room 301—
— Swoosh…!
“Ugh! A, a monster!”
“Agent! Agent! Save me— ack!”
“It’s fog! It’s flesh!”
Suddenly, the dukes appeared. Well, not one, but dukes!
*
The pressure from the dukes, cloaked in living fog and writhing flesh, was overwhelming.
Not just one but two dukes showed up, plunging the place into complete chaos.
Fortunately, Songi and I remained relatively calm, as we suspected the dukes would show up eventually since the hotel meeting.
Surprisingly, we wondered why they waited three whole days to show up.
After giving me a light signal, Songi vanished in the blink of an eye.
From now on, having Songi around was risky.
— Swoosh…!
The bizarrely distorted duke finally made its intention known.
「@#$&*&!@!」
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Before I could panic, my faithful feline companion sitting next to me spoke up.
“Princess, the duke is delivering a message to the Is tribe present here.”
“Oh, it’s talking to you? What does it say?”
“It says there’s still hope, so do not fear.”
“…”
“The king has not perished. He has merely weakened temporarily. They say if the tribe unites their strength, the king will regain his greatness.”
“Thanks.”
Several questions were immediately answered.
Firstly, it seems the dukes were trying to reclaim the subordinate entities I had brought under my control.
Secondly, it appeared they had been in contact with the remnants of my mother, who had become a ghost, all this time.
“Mother… you’re planning to recover, aren’t you?”
Well, if she didn’t want to dissolve into a ghost like that, she had to do something.
Meanwhile, the revolting duke floated above, stretching out bizarre tentacles in every direction.
— Fwoom!
“Ugh! Y-you duke—”
The subordinate entities surrounding me suddenly turned to stone.
Since they were my kin, I figured they wouldn’t have killed me.
However, the veil of protection that shielded me from the duke was now gone.
— Boom!
The grotesque figure approached with a stormy roar.
Soon, an intangible force grabbed me like a giant’s hand and asserted its will.
This time, luckily, it spoke in a way I could understand.
“Ugh…!”
「Princess, it has been a long time.」
“Hey, if you’re gonna call me princess, can’t you hold me a bit gentler?”
「I apologize for that. But the survival of the tribe is at stake; we lack the luxury.」
“Ew…!”
「The king has summoned you. He says your presence is needed for his recovery.」
“Oh! I was just thinking about visiting Mother sometime!”
「Well, that time is now.」
“Ugh…”
Pretending to act nonchalant was pointless.
In truth, once the duke appeared, most strategies were rendered useless.
There was only one approach.
「Hand of Greed: 1」
I’m being honest here.
I did come down here counting on this.
Honestly, neither I nor Songi could dream of taking down dukes through a butterfly dream or various perspectives, right?
Even the strongest among us, Kain, couldn’t possibly win against those ‘two’ dukes.
The only answer was the Hand of Greed.
Though, because of the ability’s nature requiring a cost, I was waiting for the right moment.
My plan was to use the Hand of Greed after the dukes took me far away.
As I took a breath and pondered the next situation, suddenly—
— Boom…!
Once again, a thunderous roar echoed as the ‘third duke’ burst onto the scene.
Simultaneously, the intangible chains snapped, and I found freedom.
The first duke had restrained me, but the later duke freed me—what could that possibly mean?
The newly arrived duke had different thoughts from the previous two!
「Princess, I am unsure how to greet you.」
“…”
「Should I say it’s my first time meeting you? Or should I say it’s nice to see you again?」
Since it’s hard to express the Is tribe’s name in human language, we casually referred to the dukes as A, B, and C for convenience.
B and C were dukes I brought in during the third cycle, who showed loyalty to the king until the very end.
In contrast, A had completely turned to our side.
Of course, it’s difficult to equate A from the second cycle, who experienced ascendance, to A from the third cycle, who didn’t.
“I’d like to say it’s nice to see you again. You remember, right? You were on my side.”
「Technically, it was the me from a different timeline that supported you.」
“It’ll be the same this time.”
Both A’s are ultimately the same entity, and their transdimensional inclination seems similar as well.
If they are assured of the king’s failure, they’ll switch sides without hesitation.
「If you think so, can you show me evidence of convincing the past me?」
Now, that would be the trouble.
The A from the third cycle has no memory of ascendance.
“… That’s difficult, but you already know that you’ve been persuaded before.”
The very existence of past A, who stood on our side, was a kind of evidence, right?
A responded ‘super rationally’ against my argument.
「If the king can make an erroneous judgment—」
「@#! &*@+!」
「#$@!」
In an instant, the other two dukes displayed near-furious emotions.
A’s words sounded blasphemous to the other two entities.
Of course, A continued, unfazed.
「If the king can make mistakes, then obviously lesser beings can too.」
“…”
「Even the past me was surely capable of error. Therefore, you must show me evidence again.」
“That’s—”
Before I could answer, B unleashed a fury-laden will.
「Look at the world! The princess has hypnotized lower beings with an unknown power!」
「That seems so.」
「Using that power, you must have dominated past you, right? Do not listen to the princess’s despicable words!」
Just as I brought the Is subordinates to their knees with Noblesse Oblige, they surely deemed I had seduced A’s past self too.
It’s nonsense, obviously!
Noblesse Oblige didn’t even exist back then!
But to the dukes, it probably sounded like a fairly convincing hypothesis, given they didn’t know the truth.
How do I counter that—
「That sounds odd. If the princess can forcibly bring dukes to kneel, how could you possibly take her captive?」
「…」
… Now that you mention it.
「It’s hard to make a quick judgment. There are many claims, but no one has a solid basis.」
Suddenly, I was struck with an idea.
If there’s an order among dukes, then A seems to be the highest-ranked among those here.
Maybe that’s why B and C are quietly listening to the differing opinions presented by A?
What should I do?
Try to persuade A and navigate this predicament?
Or, since only the Is tribe is around, just go ahead with the Hand of Greed?
Just as both dukes and I lost ourselves in our thoughts!
Something unexpected happened that neither I nor anyone else could foresee.
— Swoosh…!
“Um?”
The characteristic sounds of the Is tribe echoed from all directions!
What’s happening all of a sudden? Before taking a breath, the place was filled with dense fog.
It was then I realized that the subordinate entities I had subdued had manifested as ethereal forms.
They really are—
「Release the princess!」
— So it was true?
The subordinates began attacking the dukes to save me!
I hadn’t thought even I would see this level of ‘loyalty’ from the subordinates I used Noblesse Oblige on.
Soon, waves of strength began hitting the dukes, and they expressed a mixture of confusion and rage.
「Not only are you causing chaos but creating an even bigger uproar!」
「This is strange. Why isn’t our control working?」
「… The princess’s control exceeds our own.」
「Princess…! You are certainly a special being, though not the king!」
In such a volatile situation, the hundreds of subordinate entities began to chant in unison.
「Release her!」
「Release her!」
“…”
Yes, yes, kids.
Thank you, it’s great, but it’s a little unnerving.
Does this mean I can’t use my Hand of Greed here?
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