Ch.137Chapter 137. Invitation to the Imperial City

“Ah, that’s…”

The exclamation burst out as soon as he faced Irie.

It must have been because he instinctively realized how serious the current situation was.

Though he once said he would form bonds with everyone, right now his priority should be the woman with whom he first formed a connection.

“Let me explain, Irie. Actually, what happened was…”

“You were going to say you were attacked by a Demon Tribe member disguised as Merilyn, and that you had no choice but to rely on Merilyn because you were intoxicated by magical energy, right?”

“Ah, yes. Yes. That’s true, but…”

“And you were going to indirectly explain that Merilyn went berserk during the treatment process, and that you, Hyoseong, were directly involved with her because you were influenced by it, right?”

“W-well, that is…”

False explanations were meaningless to her anyway.

She was a prophet. Just by looking at someone, she could see their approximate past and a few seconds into their future without much concentration.

“…Haah.”

Irie sighed as she watched her partner floundering under her questioning.

But the anger she had shown when she first glared at him had long since disappeared.

She simply calmed the atmosphere as if resigning herself to the inevitable, and quietly handed him what she was holding.

“Here, take this.”

“…What?”

“An invitation arrived from the Imperial Palace while you were away. They said they’ll send a carriage tomorrow morning, and you’re to attend a banquet at the palace.”

Blink, blink.

Reacting to Irie’s words, he repeatedly opened his eyes and looked down at the letter in his hand with a blank expression.

Of course, he had been waiting for a letter from the Imperial Palace.

It was a top priority for him, as it would determine the reward for all his efforts so far.

But if it wasn’t happening right away, he could have said something about the current situation.

“Um…”

“Go inside.”

Irie, having already sorted out her feelings, only spoke in a blunt voice before him.

“You were attacked by a Demon Tribe member today, and you’ll have to go to the Imperial Palace tomorrow… You should get plenty of rest.”

It was a surprisingly quiet conclusion compared to the blame he had expected.

But perhaps he thought it wouldn’t end there? Hesitating, he finally asked Irie with difficulty.

“Are you really okay…”

“If you keep asking, I won’t be okay.”

Her sharp voice cut him off before he could finish.

Intimidated, he glanced around nervously before passing by Irie and heading toward the entrance of the house.

In the end, only the two women remained facing each other in the silent street.

“Aha~ If you keep asking, you won’t be okay, she says~”

Merilyn was the first to speak.

Despite being caught red-handed, she smiled shamelessly as if it didn’t matter at all.

“From what I can see, you don’t seem okay even now. Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard~?”

“…Be quiet.”

“Don’t hold it in too much~ If you get sick from holding it in, Hyoseong will worry… You should know when to get angry when you’re angry~”

Was this gloating because she had finally taken her partner away?

No, rather, her goal was probably to provoke her into lashing out.

After all, she was someone who affirmed the existence of a rival for the sake of her love, and used the fight with that person as a driving force for her own growth.

Having realized that their current relationship had actually strengthened her love, it was only natural that she would try her best to break her opponent’s patience.

“Huhu, Irie. Why are you so quiet? Say something. I’ll accept everything you say with great generosity, now that I’ve become even closer to Hyoseong~”

What a damned demoness, trying to get under her skin by even dragging her partner into it.

Nevertheless, Irie maintained her composure as much as possible, turning her gaze away and dropping just one remark.

“Says the pervert who came right after getting penetrated.”

“What?!”

“I said you’re a natural slut who came right after losing your virginity.”

The smirking face contorted in an instant.

It showed that even an arrogant demon had self-esteem.

Although submitting to him might be her latent desire, having such tendencies exposed externally was considered humiliating.

“You throw around sexual harassment all the time, but you passed out during your first experience…. Do you know how dumbfounded I was when I saw that?”

“N-no, that was…”

“Well, I suppose it would be difficult to resist an aphrodisiac set by one of the Four Heavenly Kings. But aren’t you a demon who has risen to an equal position? You could have controlled yourself perfectly well.”

“Awawa…”

“And if you approached so confidently, you should have known how to take the lead. Not only did you come right after being penetrated, but you also howled like a beast when your butt was spanked… You do realize that even a pubescent girl is less sensitive to sex than you are, right?”

“Waa, waaaaaaaa!!”

A series of cutting remarks, each one stimulating shame.

Hearing those words, Merilyn stood there at a loss, then finally screamed in outrage.

“Be quiet!! Do you think you have the right to call me a slut when you masturbate every day to Hyoseong’s scent?!”

“W-what!?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! How clearly do you think I can hear you squishing away every night calling ‘Hyoseong~ Hyoseong~’ from the next room!”

“W-wait a minute. You’ve been eavesdropping on my room this whole time?!”

“Aha~ Come to think of it, Irie can see the future, right? Do you perhaps watch yourself having relations with Hyoseong in advance? Using that as side material…”

“Shut up! Close that mouth!!”

The two women, finally overheated, began to pick at each other’s shameful points.

But the longer the fight continued, the more their wounds grew, and in the end, it turned into the wailing of losers with shattered self-esteem in a mud fight that couldn’t even be called competition.

“…Rigid and boring snoop.”

“Pretentious pervert demon.”

At the end, the two glared at each other while catching their breath.

In those gazes was the realization that they could only regard each other as enemies.

Conversely, there was also the prediction that the dynamic would continue much as it had been until now.

“Yes~ I’m just a clown who can’t be serious about anything~ I simply can’t associate with a stuck-up woman like you.”

The situation felt awkward to Merilyn.

When she first confronted her, she thought she might genuinely try to kill her, but now she vaguely sensed an attitude that, while irritating her nerves, still affirmed her existence.

“Even if I’m a woman who doesn’t match you so well, will you really choose to keep me by his side? Even though you’ve realized that this relationship has made me desire Hyoseong even more?”

“…I have to. Because I’ve realized that your goal is ultimately the same as mine.”

Yes, if she had wanted to lash out, she would have done so already.

Feeling that she wouldn’t break down even in this heated atmosphere, Irie quietly withdrew her attention from Merilyn and prepared to continue toward the house.

“For Hyoseong to suppress you, he’ll need to become that much stronger. You’ll want to pour everything into helping him build his strength from now on.”

“…Hehe, forgiving a rival to make him a savior? What a wonderful saint you are.”

“I haven’t forgiven you. I’m just saying I’ll watch as long as you don’t harm him.”

Irie paused her steps for a moment and glared at her.

Though it wouldn’t be acted upon, the emotion in that gaze was clearly hostility.

“And make sure you know one thing clearly: I was Hyoseong’s first.”

She was the first one to form a bond with him.

Even if the demon before her had borne fruit with him, the reason he had rejected her before was because she still took priority in his heart.

“Yes, you were his first.”

She didn’t deny that immutable truth, but that didn’t mean it would break her conviction.

No matter how much devotion her opponent showed toward him, it would be impossible to perfectly predict the future they would achieve in the distant future.

“So watch carefully. If you can’t protect it, I will be his last.”

And if nothing is certain, then all that’s left is to fight.

The moment she achieves her desire with her own hands will shine all the brighter the more rough and arduous the battles along the way…

****

The day after being attacked by the Demon Tribe.

Having woken up early in the morning, I came out to the entrance of my house to wait for the carriage that would be sent from the Imperial Palace.

Irie and Merilyn were still asleep.

Only Tashian and I were awake and active this early in the morning.

“Wear this coat. The weather has been getting chilly lately, so you’ll need it.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

“I’ve put other things you might need in this bag… Aren’t you wearing armor today?”

“No, well, today I’m invited to a banquet, not on a mission.”

“What about a lunch box? Should I make one for you now?”

“…Tashian, I’m not going on a picnic.”

“Huhu, sorry, son. Maybe mom is making too much fuss.”

Tashian smiled as she stared at me.

The deep emotion in that gaze was what could be called concern for me.

“Really, are you sure you’ll be alright without me coming along?”

I know that her offer to accompany me isn’t just about taking care of me.

After all, what happened then was about mining dragon remains, and Tashian was the only living dragon in this world, albeit a fallen one.

But if the being they’re after is alive and has even weakened… Wouldn’t the Empire set their sights on her if they discovered her identity?

“Don’t worry. I’ll make absolutely sure no harm comes to Tashian.”

“…I don’t want you to suffer because of me.”

“You don’t need to worry. If I didn’t have good instincts, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”

Didn’t I manage to survive even when I was weaker than I am now?

Now that I have power, my survival rate will only increase. My mindset of always carefully assessing situations remains the same as ever.

“Just don’t push yourself too hard.”

With those final words of concern for my bold claims, Tashian saw me off.

I turned my back to her and headed toward the carriage that had just arrived in front of the house.

So if I show the invitation to the coachman, he’ll take me straight to the Imperial Palace?

-Click.

At that moment, the carriage door opened first, and someone stepped out onto the street.

Presumably a passenger who had been in the carriage before me, he appeared to be an androgynous boy in his mid-teens.

No, that was just my guess based on the frock coat and pants he was wearing.

His appearance was so neat, like a doll, that I even thought he might be a girl.

“…Are you a noble?”

But either way, if my guess from this first greeting is correct, he’s not someone I should treat casually in my current position.

Although nobles are divided into high and low ranks internally, either would certainly be higher than me, an immigrant laborer by origin.

“Yes, I am Cheska Flandor, the current head of the Flandor family, which manages a frontier territory of the Orion Empire.”

Cheska Flandor.

The young noble who introduced himself adjusted his glasses and directed an expressionless gaze at me as he spoke.

“Please call me Cheska.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Cheska. I’m Hyoseong Woo, an adventurer.”

“Yes, Mr. Hyoseong Woo. May I call you Hyoseong?”

“…”

“…Is something wrong?”

“No, yes… Hyoseong. Please call me Hyoseong.”

To properly pronounce my name from our first meeting.

Could he be a nice person?

“The weather is chilly, so let’s get inside the carriage. I’ll personally guide you to the imperial banquet hall where you’ll be introduced.”

“Guide me…? You’re going to guide me personally even though you’re a noble?”

“There’s no need to find it strange. Although I am of noble status, you have also made great contributions to humanity’s victory, and for someone as remarkable as you, I can certainly provide escort and guidance.”

Cheska boarded the carriage first and adjusted his glasses.

Then he extended his hand to me and quietly said:

“Moreover, I’m interested in you, so I consider this a good opportunity.”

“Interested…?”

“I heard that the hero I sponsor owed you a debt… Do you remember the name Garam Lee?”

Hero Garam Lee.

As he informed me that he was the noble who had sponsored her since the time she bore the stigma of being a “fallen hero”…