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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: I Object
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‘Sigh, it’s one thing after another.’
“Get up.”
“Pardon…?”
Luna looked up at me, her eyes wide.
I deliberately hardened my expression, making it even colder.
“If I were to step on those thin thighs of yours and fall, could you take responsibility?”
“I-I’m sorry! Th-then what should I do? Should I prostrate myself?”
“Gain some weight first.”
“Yes! I’ll gain weight quick… Huh?”
“Move aside.”
“Oh… yes.”
Luna hesitantly stood up and moved away from the carriage door. She kept glancing at the butler, clearly at a loss for what to do.
But the butler was just as flustered. He gestured with his eyes, as if telling Luna to figure it out herself.
Pretending I hadn't seen a thing, I boarded the carriage.
Luna climbed in after me, and a moment later, the carriage slowly started to move.
‘Time to sort out the information.’
1. Five years have passed since I, the hero, died.
2. The Demon King will not reappear.
3. Therefore, the villain of Part 2 is likely to be human.
4. I must find the protagonist, the saintess, as quickly as possible.
5. The saintess will probably have companions.
Having thought this far, I rested my chin on my hand.
‘There’s too little information.’
In any case, there was only one goal: finish Part 2 in the shortest time possible.
“My lady.”
Just then, Luna offered me something from a luxurious box.
A high-end pipe made of obsidian.
“It’s the finest tobacco leaf from Persona. You’ll like it.”
“...”
So...
I was a chain-smoker.
I’d never smoked in my original world, and the same was true after I came into the novel.
No one, myself included, was allowed to smoke in front of me.
It was because of a companion who had suffered from asthma as a child.
“I’m not in the mood. Put it away.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The carriage entered the imperial castle grounds.
‘This place has changed a lot, too...’
Well, I suppose they had no choice but to rebuild, since so many buildings had collapsed and were destroyed by the demonic beasts.
Still, the old scenery hadn’t vanished completely. Looking at it brought back memories, fresh and vivid.
The time Leonhart and I snuck out of the castle to chug beer.
The time Owen and I got lost in the hedge maze and wandered around all day.
The time Luspell and I tried to create a magic item and ended up blowing up an entire tower.
‘The tower is still there?’
The tower, which had its roof blown off when I left the castle with the subjugation party, was now perfectly intact.
‘Why did they leave it like that?’
The other buildings had been replaced with magnificent Gothic-style structures, but that tower alone remained a plain, red-brick building.
‘It’s been a while, but my hands are itching.’
As an architecture student, seeing a building so out of place with its surroundings made my hands itch. It made me want to redraw the blueprints from scratch.
‘I can’t let my skills get rusty...’
I cracked my knuckles and let out a small laugh.
In Part 1, whenever I had a spare moment, I would scribble designs on napkins or in the dirt.
I thought I’d be able to go back soon.
‘But now I’ve ended up in Part 2. Damn it.’
The carriage stopped. Luna hurried down and offered her hand.
“My lady, will you be getting out?”
“Wait here.”
“Huh? Ah, I understand. Take care, my lady.”
Leaving Luna behind, I headed for the conference room.
The exterior of the building had changed, but the interior layout was the same as before, so it wasn’t hard to find.
The moment I entered the conference room, the noise vanished.
The people already gathered stared at me, their eyes wide.
“Gasp! Isn’t that Duchess Ivrante!”
“Oh, so it is. When was the last time the Duchess attended a meeting? It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”
“She stopped coming to the palace five years ago. I heard her health was failing?”
“She seems to have recovered now. Her beauty is as striking as ever. The moniker ‘Ice Rose’ suits her quite well, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know, I think ‘venomous snake’ is a better fit.”
“Ahem! We’d best watch our tongues. There are many ears listening.”
Those who showed me favor, those who watched my every move, and those who were subtly sarcastic.
The conference room buzzed with talk about me. It was enough to make my ears burn.
I stood by a window at the far end of the room. I just didn’t have the confidence to push through the crowd of nobles to the center.
A moment later, the conference room doors opened, and a tall man appeared.
‘Leonhart?’
My first companion and the third prince of the empire, Leonhart Genetic Philio.
‘When did he get so tall?’
In the past, Leonhart’s appearance was better suited to the nickname ‘Leona’ than his actual name.
But now...
‘Who would ever think he used to be a sickly, pretty boy? Men really do change as they get older.’
In the time I hadn’t seen him, Leonhart had transformed into a perfect man.
Even though he was wearing a suit, it was easy to tell that his body was built of solid muscle.
His aura was completely different, too.
Just by standing still, he exuded a refined sense of pressure.
It was the aura of a masterfully crafted sword, forged and tempered in hot molten steel thousands, tens of thousands of times.
‘No, how can he be even more handsome than before?’
His black eyes and hair were like a piece cut from the clearest, most vivid part of the night sky.
His skin was a flawless cream color, and the bridge of his nose had the perfect angle and height.
He was always pretty enough to draw attention wherever he went, but now, with a distinctly masculine sensuality added to the mix, he was breathtaking.
I felt a prickle at the back of my nose.
‘I didn’t raise him, but he sure grew up well.’
Feeling pleased, I looked around. *Look here, everyone, isn’t our boy magnificent?*
‘…?’
Why were they all like that? Far from admiring Leonhart’s appearance, the nobles looked completely intimidated.
I could feel a palpable tension in the air.
‘Then again, this is the first time I’ve seen him today, but they’ve probably seen him often.’
The nobles bowed their heads in unison toward Leonhart.
“We greet the Third Light of Philio, Your Highness the Prince.”
‘Just six years ago, he was the ignored third prince... The kid really made it big.’
Leonhart’s gaze, which had been sweeping indifferently over the nobles, stopped on me.
‘Ah!’
I hastily lowered the hand I had halfway raised.
I was so happy to see him, I almost greeted him.
No matter how different Leonhart was from before, to me, he was still my small, lovable friend.
Well… he did get a little taller. To about 190 cm.
‘But is he in a bad mood?’
Far from a smile, I could sense a faint annoyance on his expressionless face.
Why does he look so grim?
‘Smile, Leona. You’re so pretty when you smile.’
Leonhart averted his gaze.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”
‘His voice has gotten nice, too.’
My ears perked up at the sound of his low, rich, resonant voice.
His tone was terribly dry and cold, but that was probably because he was in a bad mood.
Anyway, to think Leonhart grew up this well. It makes me so proud.
I wonder how much the other companions have changed. I’ll get to see them someday, right?
“This matter concerns the creation of a golden statue of the hero, Adela Helsington, to be installed in the Grand Plaza. The documents being distributed now contain the details of its production for your reference.”
An attendant handed out the documents to the nobles.
The documents listed the budget, production period, and other details.
There was also a regulation stating that, as a special production, it could only proceed with a unanimous vote.
After giving the nobles a moment to review the papers, Leonhart continued.
“We will now begin the vote. Those who object, please raise your hand.”
‘Huh? I thought this was a meeting! Aren’t we supposed to debate the pros and cons now?’
And besides, is it really okay to hold the vote so transparently?
I looked around at the nobles. Of course they would all object...
‘Wh-what!’
Absurdly, not a single person raised their hand.
‘Why aren’t you objecting? The budget is way too high! Are you really going to approve this insane plan to set diamonds for eyes and carve the lips from rubies? This is a waste of manpower and a waste of taxes!’
If I just stood by, they were going to build a jewel-encrusted statue of me, the former hero, at about six times my actual size.
‘H-horrifying!’
“There are no objections. Then this motion passes unanimously—”
“I object.”
