Ch.146146. Reunion

I handled the cleanup of Albheim. I left it to Elandir. I wish that had resolved everything, but one problem remained.

Alvar.

I killed him with conviction. He had already sided with Albheim and tried to stop Rex. To reach the World Tree, I had to defeat Alvar. Even if I had just knocked him unconscious, once he woke up, he would have obviously continued to interfere with Rex’s plans. Even if I killed Elturath and the truth came to light. Once bad blood begins, it continues unless you end it.

I thought I needed to tie up loose ends.

—But was that really true? Was killing Alvar truly the best choice? Was there no room for persuasion? Now that the excitement of battle had cooled, I couldn’t be certain. Perhaps there might have been a better way.

Killing Alvar would “definitely” eliminate future conflicts. If I had chosen a possibility based on “what if” instead of a certain option.

Until his dying breath, Alvar called for the peace of the Empire. Not because he held goodwill toward Albheim or the elves. For him, the Empire was always the highest value. If I had given him a little more time, a chance to change his mind, what would have happened?

Alvar chose Albheim over Rex simply because, in his judgment, Albheim held greater value. But now? Rex had risen beyond the level of an Apostle. I don’t know if this is the stage of descent that’s considered a living deity. Still, he would certainly be among the strongest beings currently on earth.

The title of Albheim’s hero and absolute power. There’s no need to be hostile to Albheim. If so, wouldn’t Alvar have changed his attitude and tried to recruit Rex? At the very least, he wouldn’t have seen him as an enemy to be eliminated.

In the end, this too was just speculation. He might have worried that Rex would threaten the Empire in the future, informed the Empire of Rex’s existence, and tried to eliminate him preemptively. “What if”… No one can be certain about future possibilities without seeing them directly.

Once spilled water cannot be gathered back up.

“So that’s how it turned out.”

Charlotte said with a bitter tone.

Rex didn’t hide what happened in Albheim. How he stopped Elturath’s ritual and rescued Elin. How he had no choice but to kill Alvar in the process. Others might not understand, but Chloe and Charlotte could be trusted. It wasn’t something he could hide if they were to discuss the future.

Because of this, the joyful reunion didn’t last long. There were tears as they embraced Elin while sniffling. Of course, Charlotte just nodded impassively, and only Chloe made a fuss.

Now Chloe was sticking close to Elin, rubbing her reddened eyes. Most of the conversation was led by Charlotte and Rex. From the beginning, Chloe found it difficult to talk about such topics.

“Alvar. He was… a man with a stubbornly hard head. I didn’t particularly share any friendship with him, but hearing of his death, I feel somewhat regretful.”

But still. Charlotte shrugged and added.

“You have no reason to feel guilty. He acted according to his beliefs, and you fought for your own convictions. If you point a sword at someone, you should be prepared to have a sword at your own neck. He probably stood against you prepared to die.”

“…I see.”

“That’s how it is.”

Charlotte replied in a firm tone. Hearing those words made the heaviness in his chest ease a bit. Rex nodded with a bitter smile. The conversation paused, and silence settled in. He had informed them of Alvar’s death, but the problems that followed remained unresolved.

“Will the Empire… notice?”

“Well. You’re the only one who witnessed Alvar’s death in Albheim, aren’t you?”

“Elandir was there too.”

“He said he wants Elin to have a happy life and would help settle the commotion in Albheim. Unless he’s lost his mind and is spouting lies, he won’t spread seeds of discord. He’ll keep quiet about it.”

Charlotte frowned slightly and stroked her chin.

“It might be better to agree on a story in advance.”

“If we agree on a story…”

“Alvar didn’t die fighting you. To prevent Elturath’s ritual, or rather, for the sake of the Empire’s peace—that would be a good excuse. In conclusion, Alvar heroically sacrificed himself. Isn’t that quite good? Since only you and Elandir know the truth, it should be entirely possible.”

Rex stared at Charlotte with wide eyes. It was a remarkably plausible story to have come up with so quickly. Charlotte made a sullen face and turned her head away sharply.

“Did you think I was just idling around after sending you off? A clash with Alvar was inevitable, so I had already thought about how to deal with the aftermath. With my name behind it, deceiving the Empire shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Lady Charlotte…”

Rex approached Charlotte with a face full of gratitude. Charlotte’s shoulders flinched. She cleared her throat awkwardly and hesitated.

“W-what? Don’t come closer. It’s disgusting.”

“Lady Charlotte. May I hug you?”

“W-what?!”

“Come to think of it, I’ve always received favors from you but never returned them. I don’t have wealth or anything particularly impressive, but…”

“N-not necessary! I am the head of the Edenhart Marquis family and an Apostle who commands the Order of the Sword. I’m not so destitute that I need to receive anything from you.”

The Chaos Order building was well-ventilated and shaded, making it cool, but strangely, the surroundings suddenly felt hot. Charlotte snapped while fanning herself. Rex’s smile deepened at the sight.

“That’s right. I can’t give you anything material. That’s why I’m offering to hug you.”

The air grew hotter as Rex came closer. Even though she hadn’t felt cold or heat since reaching the level of an Apostle… she kept hearing inexplicable sounds. Thump. Was this her heartbeat? Why suddenly? She seemed to know the reason but couldn’t bring herself to accept it. Charlotte jumped to her feet, trying to calm her pounding heart.

“I-I said it’s not necessary! Step back. No, I’ll leave.”

“What? But we still have much to discuss…”

“We’ll just say Alvar died heroically, and since the Albheim issue is settled, there’s no need for further discussion… Why am I explaining this? Enough. We return to the Empire tomorrow, so I’ll… go back to my room. Don’t come looking for me. I need… time alone.”

Charlotte bit her lip tightly and walked away. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the corridor.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

He just really wanted to hug her out of gratitude. Rex scratched the back of his head and tilted it in confusion. …The stares felt prickly. Elin and Chloe were glaring at him with displeased eyes. Elin spoke in a disgruntled voice.

“Rex… aren’t the two of us enough for you?”

“Huh?”

“Greedy.”

Elin made a “hmph” sound and closed her mouth. Chloe, who was beside her, added a comment.

“I thought this would happen from the beginning. You might pretend not to show it, but Rex, your eyes go crazy whenever you see a pretty woman.”

“…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I’m sure you don’t. People often understand others but not themselves.”

Rex laughed awkwardly with an aggrieved expression. It was clear that his intentions had been completely misunderstood. While he wasn’t certain about Alvar’s case, he was absolutely sure about this.

“Still, someone like Lady Charlotte…”

Chloe muttered to herself with a serious face. Rex tried hard to ignore her. Anyway, though they had returned from Albheim, they wouldn’t head back to the Empire immediately. They decided to stay one more night and depart the next day, as they were tired from the battle in Albheim.

There were also things to wrap up.

“So you really came back alive.”

“Did you think I would die?”

“Not necessarily, but I thought you probably wouldn’t return alive.”

Shaharon answered with an indifferent face. Having taken Rex to Albheim, he had felt the immense power emanating from the World Tree. An absolute power that could never be overcome with a human body. Honestly, even now, he found it hard to believe that Rex had defeated Elturath.

“Now all that’s left is to conquer the Empire.”

“…What nonsense are you talking about?”

Rex responded instinctively to the sudden statement. But Shaharon’s expression remained calm without a hint of jest.

“If you killed Elturath, you are the strongest being on the continent, whom no one can oppose.”

“What does that have to do with conquering the Empire?”

“I cannot understand your meaning. Are you doubting me? Don’t worry. If anything, I am an enemy of the Empire. The Empire has always viewed Lornaroch as a thorn in its side, and Lornaroch feels the same. If you were to attack the Empire, I would gladly lend you my strength.”

Rex gaped with a stunned face. From his reaction, Shaharon began to realize that the direction of their conversation had gone awry. He asked in a puzzled voice.

“…You’re not going to conquer the Empire?”

“I mean, why would I need to conquer the Empire?”

“You… have inherited Kaiserion’s will. That establishes your legitimacy. You have the Sword Apostle backing you, and you yourself possess power that surpasses hers. Add to that the forces of Lornaroch, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to subjugate the Empire and reign as a new monarch.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

“My mind is sound. I am speaking of the future from a thoroughly rational perspective. Do you not have ambitions to become Emperor and rule the world?”

“…No, I don’t.”

Rex stared at Shaharon with a sour face. What nonsense was he talking about? Overthrow the Empire? Emperor? Of course, it’s not impossible. If Rex set his mind to it, he might really become Emperor. No, he definitely could.

Lead the four orders of Lornaroch, raise an army, and attack the Empire. Currently, only two Apostles remain in the Empire, and one of them, Charlotte, is Rex’s ally. Vivien? She had also shown goodwill toward Rex, so with proper persuasion, she might well come over to his side. That alone would be enough to crush the remaining forces of the Empire.

But why would I?

What Rex had longed for was a life with his loved ones, not sitting on the Emperor’s throne. Starting a war would obviously shatter the peace they had just achieved—who would be crazy enough to do that? Rex was already satisfied with his current life.

“…A pity.”

Shaharon said in a genuinely regretful tone. Rex frowned and shook his head.

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Pandemius still holds interest in you. He issued an oracle asking you to visit the temple occasionally.”

“Can oracles be issued that frequently? Anyway, that’s for me to decide.”

“One more thing.”

Shaharon pointed at Absian with his finger. The Apostle of Void who follows Elnebra. Honestly, Rex still couldn’t gauge exactly what kind of person Absian was. Shaharon could be treated like trash because he was trash, but Absian was difficult to deal with.

Even now.

Absian was silently staring at Rex. With his eyes tightly wrapped in red cloth, it was impossible to tell what expression he wore.

“He asked me to convey his thanks.”

“…Oh, okay.”

When Rex answered with an awkward face, Absian bowed his head.

“Thanks to you stopping Elturath, the Life God has regained his divinity. Elnebra, the God of Death, is very satisfied with the result, and the Death Order has declared that they will appoint you as a saint, beyond considering you a benefactor.”

“That’s really not necessary…”

Whoosh! Rex, trailing off, swallowed hard in surprise. Absian raised his head and sent a very explicit silent gaze. Sometimes, not speaking makes the meaning feel more intense. This was one of those times.

“…Alright.”

Finally, Rex sighed and nodded. Only then did Absian turn around and leave the room. Shaharon blinked, showing no particular reaction.

“I heard you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“Oh, that. Good timing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Is Lornaroch far from the Empire?”

“Yes. Even if we hurry, it would take a good three months. It’s spring now, so we would arrive around the beginning of summer.”

Shaharon didn’t guess the intention behind the question but answered straightforwardly. Rex grinned and said.

“You know that shadow movement technique of yours? Take us there with that.”

“…My Black Lotus cannot be used for such trivial purposes.”

“Come to think of it, three years ago, I said I would beat you up when we met again.”

“This is absurd.”

Shaharon’s eyes gleamed with killing intent.

After a long silence, Shaharon replied in a kind tone.

“Should you be in front of the building tomorrow morning?”