Bell, Cloney, and Hestia gazed at the podium in front of [The Cross of Glory].
There stood Empress Brigitte, who had just ascended as the new emperor.
The Empress.
A female empress, a first in the history of the Astes Empire, had now come into existence.
“Once more, I shall greet the citizens of this nation,” declared Empress Brigitte.
“I am Brigitte von Astes. My people.”
Her golden cloak fluttered.
These were words proclaimed as an emperor, not an heir to the throne.
The citizens of the empire stared directly at their new empress.
Nobles gazed at Brigitte as well.
The owner of the magical train [Halo IV], Count Venosetian, felt relieved to see Brigitte in line already.
Marquis Kairos watched the birth of the new empress with a solemn expression.
Duke Balzac also looked at Brigitte standing on the podium with a bright smile.
Then, he turned to the person next to him and said,
“Shouldn’t you be up there?”
Next to Balzac stood Duke Yuma, who shook his head.
“That’s a silly thing to say.”
“Heh, there’s no noble here who doesn’t know who created Empress Brigitte.”
Just after that meaningless conversation concluded—
Whooooooosh──!!
It was the halo.
However, the light that was originally a halo transcended its concept, transforming into a brilliance that enveloped Brigitte’s entire body.
Agares, now in this situation behind Brigitte, opened his eyes wide.
Radiance erupted from her body.
And in the moment that brilliance was released, Brigitte’s shadow morphed from black to a shimmering turquoise flame.
The light illuminated the world brightly for a moment and then completely concealed itself from Brigitte’s form.
Yuma slightly furrowed his brow.
The change was undoubtedly happening to Brigitte. His mind echoed with a notification.
[Companion – ‘Brigitte von Astes’ has performed a ‘Fate Line Change’ to alter her destiny.]
[‘Imperial Blood of Astes’ has been awakened.]
[Ability – ‘Song of the Emperor’ has been awakened.]
Yuma felt a bit perplexed.
What good is it if he can see it?
The one who actually obtained this skill, Brigitte, wouldn’t even know what it was.
[Ability – Song of the Emperor
A wide-area buff used by the first emperor of the Astes royal family, Ikeras von Astes.
When the verse of the Imperial Song is sung, it enhances the physical and combat abilities of the troops within the area.
Duration: Until the caster’s energy is expended.
Exhausted energy can be replenished through rest.]
Yuma contemplated for a moment how he should explain this to Brigitte, who didn’t realize it.
On the podium,
Brigitte turned her body and slowly walked down toward the audience.
Brigitte slowly walked down from the platform.
“Father.”
Brigitte glanced at her father, Agares, who was staring intently at her.
“It feels like I’ve gained some kind of power… but I don’t really know what it is.”
Agares slowly nodded at his newly crowned daughter’s words.
“Don’t worry, I might know what it is.”
“Excuse me?”
Agares pulled out a legend he had only heard from his ancestors in his mind.
The Imperial Family.
A power that only the first Emperor was born with.
The ability that temporarily boosted the might of his legion.
Agares was convinced that Brigitte had awakened the same powers as the first Emperor.
The coronation ceremony.
And the radiance that flowed from her body.
And the turquoise light that filled in the shadows.
All matched the information from the royal bloodline books that only the Emperor could read.
Agares couldn’t forget the sentence that described the moment of awakening written by the first Emperor.
Wanting to become a great Emperor like the first Emperor.
And greatness always had an unparalleled uniqueness.
So, Agares had always admired the first Emperor.
However, it seemed like his daughter, who had ascended to the Imperial Throne, had awakened that uniqueness.
‘It must have been said that the first Emperor received such a blessing for leading what was thought impossible — the unity between races.’
What had his daughter accomplished?
His daughter’s actual achievements didn’t come to mind.
‘One, being able to read people well. Gaining trust is also a skill.’
Yuma.
He had brought many blessings to the Empire in various ways.
After the coronation ceremony.
Yuma and his party hurried back to the Princess’s palace.
While climbing the stairs.
“Ah—.”
Blood erupted from Yuma’s mouth.
Cloney, who was walking alongside him, stopped dead in her tracks.
Golden eyes peered through his black hair, staring into Yuma’s soul.
“Yuma…?”
The green eyes of the cat-folk with scarlet hair also bore into Yuma.
“Yuma?”
Yuma spent another half a day reassuring Cloney and Hestia.
It was an unanticipated revelation event that occurred four days before he was supposed to cough up blood due to the [Fruit of Poisonous Dormancy].
*
As night deepened.
Brigitte sat alone, sipping wine while people were still buzzing around.
“Oh, you finally came, Yuma.”
A light blush adorned Brigitte’s face.
“I’m feeling very good today.”
Brigitte gazed at Yuma, who had been put through the wringer for half a day by Cloney and Hestia.
“That makes sense.”
Yuma slowly lifted the wine that Brigitte had poured into his glass.
“Isn’t it the day you’ve ascended to the throne you’ve always wanted? You should toast with your ministers in a more extravagant fashion.”
“A toast we could raise!”
At Yuma’s words, Brigitte chuckled softly.
“Right, that sounds appropriate. But a grand ceremony is enough with just the coronation at the Cross of Glory.”
Brigitte raised her glass towards Yuma.
Yuma clinked his glass against Brigitte’s raised one.
“Ding-”
“What a delightful night!”
Brigitte repeatedly echoed the same words, as if caught in a playful haze.
“It’s a night that makes me want to marry you.”
For a moment, Yuma doubted his ears.
So, he chose to remain silent.
Feeling that as a rejection, Brigitte smiled bitterly.
“Don’t worry, what I said wasn’t just a careless outburst to keep you by my side in the Astes Empire.”
“…I never thought like that, Brigitte. I was just a bit taken aback.”
“Yeah, you’re someone who thinks more about the future of the continent than I do, so my words must sound ridiculous to you.”
Brigitte placed her right hand on top of Yuma’s right hand resting on the table.
“Next time, after the world stabilizes a bit more, we’ll talk again.”
Brigitte’s face looked rather shy for someone who had just become an emperor today.
Clearing her throat, she continued speaking.
“The appearance of that other Evil God you mentioned yesterday, and the possibility of their cult… The Imperial Information Agency has started their investigation.”
Yuma narrowed his brows at the introduction of such an important topic.
“Do you think we can narrow down the suspects quickly?”
Brigitte slowly shook her head.
“I think it will take some time. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Incrinew, who we trusted wholeheartedly, has turned out to be an Evil God. In terms of completely righteous deities on this continent, the only ones we can name are the God of War worshipped by the Holy Empire of Leobrehim and the Nature God revered by the Elves.”
Brigitte continued.
“Excluding these two cases, it’s the general consensus that there are no legitimate gods, and the rest are called heretics. The number of those heretics is far too many.”
Simply put, it was a multitude of imaginary gods conceived amidst wicked human scheming driven by greed.
There were just too many variations of that god.
“Probably, they’re treating this as the same as the cultists of the true Evil God. Perhaps it’s all been intentional.”
Yuma took another sip of wine while listening to Brigitte’s words.
“The pendant you gave me, with that picture. I’ll gradually spread it to the upper echelons of the Information Guild across the continent. That way, something might turn up.”
He was referring to the pendant originating from Yuriana, the woman who had been directly blessed by the Evil God.
Yuma nodded.
“We don’t need to rush. After all, it seems highly likely that those from the Evil God’s side won’t be able to suppress their curiosity and come looking for me again.”
A mere mortal dared to kill a god.
The annihilator killed a god?
Curiosity about that. And a faint sense of unease.
Duke Yuma was sure that the Evil God he indirectly encountered yesterday wouldn’t be able to endure those two for long.
‘Somehow, luring out the true form and killing it should be a sure thing.’
While preparing for the demon army, Yuma concluded that he also needed to come up with a way to successfully hunt the second Evil God.
Just as he was about to go in and tell them to take a break, Princess Brigitte spoke up again.
It seemed she still had more to say.
“Did you see the light that came from me today?”
Not a metaphor, but real light. Yuma nodded. It was impossible not to see it.
“Yeah, I saw it.”
“When I asked my father, he said it seems like I’ve unlocked a power that only the first Emperor held.”
He thought it would be chaotic today, and considered telling her tomorrow. But it appeared she’d already heard it from Agares, who had turned into the previous Emperor.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, it’s said that I’ve gained the power to boost my soldiers’ strength. If I recite a verse like a poem, I can provide a wide-area buff effect.”
Agares must have conveyed that clearly enough that no further explanation was needed.
‘So there are books that only emperors can read.’
Thanks to that, no additional explanations were necessary.
“I plan to fully master this imperial lineage and showcase it at the archduke’s coronation in five days. It’s a significant day, after all.”
Brigitte’s blue eyes locked onto Yuma’s blue eyes.
“It’s a power given to the bloodline of an emperor who changed fate. Perhaps the moment my destiny changed was… the moment I didn’t die at the hands of God Incrinew. Otherwise, one of either Cloney or Bell would have perished… If it weren’t for your strength, I wouldn’t have been able to gather them in the first place.”
Brigitte leaned her face on Yuma’s shoulder.
Yuma could only smell the faint scent of alcohol wafting from the Emperor.
“It’s all thanks to you, Yuma. My every achievement… is all because of you. You’ve gathered all my luck.”
“In the end, being able to reach this point is due to your own refusal to give up on your dreams despite the absurd circumstances.”
Brigitte slowly shook her head.
That gesture transmitted down her shoulder.
“With just that, I couldn’t have come this far. Your strength was significant. That’s the truth. So now, I want to be helpful to you. No, I will be. I must.”
Yuma felt that Brigitte was quite tipsy.
“When I’m proud before you, I’ll confess again today…”
Yuma couldn’t help but chuckle at those words.
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