Ch.162Aftermath (4)

“I’m Rie Hejedia, newly appointed as the Financial Minister at the Temple of All Gods. I look forward to working with you.”

Though it’s not a saying from the ancient sages, there’s a similarly wise piece of advice:

Never argue with a learned person or an older sister.

Of course, one could dismiss this by saying they’ve never heard such advice.

But it was credible enough. After all, it came from me—who, if not the wisest person here right now, would someday become the overwhelming intellect encompassing all of Netel.

Considering my potential and brilliant wit, it seemed worth believing.

Therefore, I had no choice but to be persuaded by Rie Hejedia’s “101 Reasons Why You Need a Financial Minister.”

After all, a figurehead can only do what those in real power tell them to do.

After returning all of Rie Hejedia’s personal belongings—her monocle, outer clothes, undergarments, and even her travel bag—all that remained was the introduction.

The not-quite-council of the Temple of All Gods.

A secret meeting where no formalities existed and where secrets didn’t remain secret because Hui would scratch at the door if it was closed, so we had to keep it open.

There, I sat with the most expressionless face I could manage.

“Financial Minister.”

“It means a minister who handles the economic aspects of an organization.”

Islah, the northern country bumpkin (not an insult) who didn’t know what a Financial Minister was, asked, and Lorian answered.

“They mainly establish the national budget, review budget requests from other institutions, manage currency domestically, and oversee taxation on imports and exports… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Who are you?”

I lowered my voice and glared at Lorian. This wasn’t the Lorian I knew. The Lorian I knew wasn’t someone with this much knowledge.

Lorian, who had been stroking Islah’s head as she lay using his lap as a pillow, tilted his head and frowned.

“…Is this not my role? Are you implying that I usually just do stupid things?”

“That’s right.”

“Islah!”

“It’s true though.”

Islah was always confident and honest.

With even Melody agreeing, Lorian had to endure with a pout to avoid disrupting the atmosphere.

Knowing this well, Islah wagged her tail while resting her chin on Lorian’s thigh.

Despite everything, when Islah pressed her tail against Lorian’s cheek, he showed no signs of anger.

Well, how could anyone stay angry when that tail was pressing against them, telling them not to be mad?

I nodded in agreement, and Rie Hejedia, after observing the two of them, said:

“…But since we’re not a nation, I think there will be differences in the duties. I’ll also handle negotiations with other settlements, hire mercenaries, manage and stockpile supplies, and collect scarce resources.”

Indeed, the Temple of All Gods is not a nation. It’s not even at the level of a city-state.

Or is it?

My education was lacking, so I wasn’t sure what defined a city.

I glanced at my sister, saw her looking displeased, and dejectedly lowered my gaze.

Then I glanced at her again, and she was flustered seeing me looking so dejected.

Hmm, this still works. Even though it’s not my old face.

Desperately trying to divert my attention from the shocking fact I’d heard from Rie Hejedia, I changed the subject.

“Won’t you fight?”

“Eshaterna, I don’t plan to fight because it would be tiresome to fight with you.”

“That’s a shame. I haven’t tried my new knife yet.”

The Swordbreaker twirled between Eshaterna’s fingers. The elves’ top assassin expressionlessly expressed her disappointment as she returned the knife to its sheath.

“There’s something that concerns me.”

“Please speak freely.”

Fortunately, thanks to Eshaterna’s “Esha behavior,” my sister quickly regained her composure.

As if she had never been flustered by my reaction, she crossed her arms.

It was the “arm-crossing that accentuates the chest” that had troubled me countless times in middle school.

Now, well, it was actually a bit uncomfortable to look at, so I had to avert my eyes.

“You mentioned hiring mercenaries. Why do we need mercenaries?”

“Because the location of the Temple of All Gods has already been identified.”

Rie Hejedia.

The Financial Minister who had recently been with the subjugation force but quickly changed sides when she realized the disadvantage, smiled with her eyes from behind her monocle.

“It’s no longer a safe zone like before, so inevitably, we’ll need people to guard and watch the surroundings.”

“We can protect ourselves just fine.”

“I’m well aware that available forces are limited. There are just over a hundred mixed-blood vampires, and most of them haven’t even completed basic training.”

Lorian made an uncomfortable sound, but Rie Hejedia didn’t even glance at him.

She knew exactly who she needed to convince.

Implicitly, the one with the strongest voice in this place was my sister.

And that couldn’t be helped.

My sister had once been the strongest in the Empire and, as a Mage-Knight, had taken the position of the Empire’s First Sword over Rie Hejedia, who was both a mage and a swordswoman.

At the same time, she was a warrior and adventurer who had escaped the continent despite the Emperor’s clutches.

The entire continent knew my sister’s name.

Even Lorian would curl his tail like Hui when meeting Eshaterna’s eyes whenever my sister expressed her opinion, so Rie Hejedia’s insight was quite remarkable.

“We can’t use the Black Knights either, right? The anti-magic power they carry isn’t good for the barrier constructed around here… and above all, their search and patrol abilities aren’t that great.”

She wasn’t wrong. The Black Knights were nearly omnipotent, but when it came to tasks requiring magical power, they were practically useless.

Rie Hejedia seemed to know this well.

Of course, she had to.

She had been one of those who had seriously come to subjugate us.

And my sister seemed to have reached the same conclusion. Her eyes turned black.

Like an oversized full moon embedded in the black night sky, my sister’s mage eye gave viewers a chilling sensation.

Honestly, it was a bit scary.

“How can I trust you?”

That’s the kind of profession a Mage-Knight was.

A profession that easily benefits in intimidation-related conversations, maintaining warrior-like power while freely using simple magic.

So Rie Hejedia’s expression cracked, rarely. There was a subtle hint of fear.

It was obvious that she would become a meat paste in an instant if my sister wanted.

I watched Rie Hejedia, wondering how she would respond.

What would she do?

Would she beg? Or try to persuade logically?

Or maybe she would get angry. If she had a quick temper, she might die getting angry.

I scanned the surroundings from my seat and noticed Uncle Mourner, who had been silently carving wood, quietly standing by the doorway.

He was trying to prevent anyone from going outside if a fight broke out.

I shook my head and looked at Rie Hejedia.

I remembered that she wasn’t the type to act that way here.

Sure enough, Rie Hejedia moved beyond expectations.

The woman who had somehow quietly approached. A hand reaching toward me.

Without even a hint of threat or discomfort, her hand rested on my shoulder.

“Here is the man the Emperor called the Usurper.”

I blinked blankly, and Rie Hejedia’s cold hand pressed gently on my shoulder.

“The Emperor ordered the Usurper’s death. I obeyed the order, and the Empire’s talents, including myself, came to the New Continent to kill the Usurper and bring back his head. But… there was one thing we overlooked.”

“I think I know what it is.”

It was Ortemilia, who had been staring at her own nails, absent from all the conversation.

Rie Hejedia gave her attention to that tiny dragon, and Rte snorted.

“That they were all expendable, right?”

“Huh?”

What is she talking about?

“You didn’t know, I see. Well, it’s easy to be mistaken when caught up in the heat of battle.”

Expendable?

All of them?

It was unbelievable to me, who had been in the midst of the battle, but that’s what Rte said.

“That was the plan itself. Someone ties someone down somewhere, someone blocks someone else. In fact, if the goal was to kill the Usurper by any means…”

Rte’s vertical pupils fixed on me. There was an unmistakably chilling quality in those eyes.

“Wouldn’t the correct answer have been to send everyone to concentrate their attack on you?”

Come to think of it, that was true.

Upon reflection, the battle itself felt strange.

They were prepared, and the goal was to kill me, but…

It felt like killing me wasn’t the main objective. They could have killed me if things had gone well, but…

If they were going to expend resources anyway, it was hard to deny that there would have been better methods.

And Rie Hejedia seemed to have the same thought, as she raised the corner of her mouth.

“The Emperor’s purpose was to get rid of all of us. There’s no reason to follow him anymore.”

So she joined me. That seemed like a sufficient explanation to me, but apparently not to my sister.

My sister still maintained her mage eye.

“That alone doesn’t explain it. How do I know you’re not lying? You could be a double agent trying to make the next subjugation more favorable.”

That ominous mage eye scanned Rie Hejedia, and I rarely found myself disagreeing with my sister.

And it seemed I was the only one. Most of the others appeared to agree with my sister.

Why? She didn’t seem likely to betray us.

After thinking for a moment, I understood the reason.

It couldn’t be helped.

I understood Rie Hejedia, but the others didn’t.

“That could be the case. I might be a traitor, lying and deceiving you all for my own benefit. But.”

The surprising fact was that Rie Hejedia knew this too.

Furthermore, she knew more than I expected.

“I decided to change sides because Master Ruwellin here saw me for who I am and understood me. So the matter of my life and death isn’t for the Guardian Lord to decide.”

My sister’s eyes widened. Looking at those eyes, Rie Hejedia spoke with a subtle smile.

“Between someone who uses and discards people like tools and someone who cherishes people and crafts unique weapons with the desire for their people’s happiness—which one would you feel more inclined to serve? That’s the sentiment with which I stand here.”

I hadn’t expected her to understand even my unique weapon.

Rie Hejedia directed her subtly formed smile at me. What I felt in that gaze was trust.

I opened my eyes wide with a bewildered expression, and Rie Hejedia, massaging my shoulder, said:

“I entrust my fate entirely to you. Please do as you wish.”

I understood the pressure contained in those words.

Nice way of putting it, but interpreted, it meant:

‘You see my situation? You handle the convincing?’

I swallowed hard, flustered by the countless gazes directed at me.