Ch.284Bombshell Statement (3)

Perhaps because she had cast a voice amplification spell, Cecilly’s voice echoed throughout the square like a reverberation.

Five seconds after her unexpected statement. For five seconds, a deathly silence settled over the square.

It was literally a bomb in itself. Unlike when Arwen revealed her mixed heritage, this wasn’t just a ripple on a calm lake—it was the harbinger of a massive tsunami.

“What… did she say?”

“Xenon’s woman?”

“Hey, is what I just heard true?”

The crowd immediately began to stir at the bombshell statement about being “Xenon’s woman,” something no one had imagined.

Musk and Arwen. They were the only people who knew Xenon’s identity. This was a firmly established fact that people had believed until now.

But that rule had just been completely shattered through Cecilly’s statement. Now it wasn’t one or two, but a third person.

Above all, Cecilly’s mention of being Xenon’s “woman.” This carried a completely different level of influence than the people mentioned earlier.

“W-what are you thinking?”

“…”

Marie, sitting next to me, was so shocked that her mouth hung open. That’s how impactful Cecilly’s bombshell statement was in many ways.

Someone’s woman. The meaning most people would assume—that she was officially dating that person.

In other words, Cecilly had publicly announced in front of everyone that she was dating Xenon—that is, me.

Whatever she was thinking, this behavior was completely different from what Cecilly normally showed.

“Is it true?”

“No way… Or maybe it is possible, since she’s a demon princess.”

“So really…”

“Is that why she portrayed demons so favorably?”

The crowd’s murmuring grew louder, and the opinions they shared became more varied.

At first there was disbelief, but as people compared it with how demons were portrayed in the Biography of Xenon, it started to gain credibility.

But the shock of dropping a tactical nuclear bomb-like statement remained. An atmosphere of disbelief still prevailed.

Cecilly seemed to have noticed these reactions as she slowly looked around at the audience. Though the distance to the platform made it hard to see clearly, she wore a confident smile.

‘She wouldn’t have said that without thinking…’

If she was going to say something like that, she would have discussed it with me beforehand.

Making such a statement without any prior discussion could worsen not only my situation but especially her relationship with Marie.

Currently at the academy, Marie and I were officially dating, while Cecilly and I were dating in secret.

Though we often went out together with Marie and other acquaintances, Cecilly and I had rarely gone out alone openly.

So even if Cecilly said something like that, it wouldn’t necessarily narrow down the suspects, but it was still concerning nonetheless.

I decided to watch and see what she would say, calming my mind.

[You must all be surprised. You must be taken aback by my sudden claim to be Xenon’s woman. But please stay calm and listen to what I have to say.]

Cecilly continued her speech, maintaining her characteristically seductive voice. Thanks to her words, the commotion subsided.

It seems she made that bombshell statement to draw maximum attention, but I’m curious how she’ll develop it.

[Before the Biography of Xenon appeared in the world, we demons had to live in hiding. Within Helium, we could laugh, talk, get angry, and be happy like other races. But the world’s gaze was cruel. Not only did they see us as devils, but in the past, they went beyond just seeing and made assumptions that led to terrible tragedies.]

The terrible tragedies that demons experienced in the past. If you had even a slight interest in history, you would know what incident this referred to.

The massacre when humans were consumed by madness and went berserk. Not the beastkin massacre during the racial war, but a historical fact that occurred before that.

The so-called “Uprooting”—when the Holy Papal Kingdom of Sabre massacred demons, claiming to completely eradicate the seeds of evil.

The term might sound strange, but the content it contains is truly horrific. Looking back at that name with knowledge of history would make one shudder.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm.”

Perhaps they knew Cecilly’s speech was directed at them. Embarrassed reactions came from the VIP seats where the Sabre delegation was sitting.

They had nothing to say when confronted so directly. After all, the corrupt Cardinal incident had just occurred recently.

Currently, Kate was carrying Sabre by the scruff of its neck, and if even she had abandoned the Church of Luminus, it would have been a major incident where the entire root could have been uprooted.

They had almost no right to speak, and with Cecilly bombarding them with historical facts, they couldn’t say anything.

Not that she was being disrespectful. She hadn’t openly mocked them, just stated that tragedy had befallen her people.

[We demons were born into tragedy from the beginning. Every day we had to fight the devil hiding deep in our hearts, and sometimes it was unbearably painful. But we too have people we love and people we want to protect. For their sake, we suppressed the evil within us. To protect the ones we love.]

[This didn’t change even after the Biography of Xenon appeared in the world. Thanks to him, our demon race was able to step into a brighter world, but the fundamental problem remains. Just as all living beings don’t know their future, we demons are at risk of being consumed by inner evil anytime, anywhere. This isn’t just what you think—we demons think so too.]

[But thanks to the Biography of Xenon expressing those feelings well, we demons could finally step forward not as devils but as people. As you can see with me, I’ve enrolled in the Halo Academy of the Empire of Minerva and continue to actively engage with neighboring countries. Moreover, at the exhibition, we showed you how strong our Helium culture is.]

[Nevertheless, the true enemy of us demons still remains inside. Like the plan of Gluttony in the Biography of Xenon, it might stimulate the inner evil and transform all the demons of Helium into devils. Such a terrible tragedy will no longer occur thanks to our benefactor, but the fundamental problem hasn’t been solved. However, without us noticing, the answer to this was already in the Biography of Xenon.]

[It’s Lilith, who appears in the Biography of Xenon as one of the Seven Deadly Sins in charge of Lust, and who became a devil after experiencing tragedy like any other demon.]

That’s a setting error, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly as I listened to Cecilly’s speech.

I’d like to confess by letter that it’s a setting error, but readers praise it as a brilliant foreshadowing, so I can’t do that.

Even if I denied it, it’s questionable whether they would believe me. Let’s just go with it since it’s working out well.

[Lilith became a devil after losing her beloved, but surprisingly, she maintained her rationality. Normally, a demon who becomes a devil loses rationality and becomes a monster consumed by anger and grief, but she was not like that. Everyone might take it for granted since she was a demon who crossed over to the devil’s side, but just looking at this, we can see it as a big change for our demon race.]

[Later, Jin subdued the evil within and made it his own power, and with the recent rediscovery of Lilith’s description, Helium is now in turmoil. One side believes the inner evil can be subdued, while the other side believes it’s still difficult. With the fate of Helium at stake, there’s an uncompromising internal conflict.]

As Cecilly said, Helium appears peaceful on the surface but is quite turbulent.

It has rarely fallen into political chaos like Alfheim or Animus, and the current situation transcends politics in significance.

The fate of not just a country but an entire race is at stake. With the release of volume 21, a new “ideology” has emerged, creating many risk factors.

Will Cecilly choose “restraint” or “control”?

This issue is the core of this speech and will determine the future not just of Helium but of the demon race.

[I, Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin… will follow the prophecy of our benefactor.]

And Cecilly chose “control” over “restraint,” which has been maintained since the founding of Helium until now.

Other races might not care, but this could potentially create a massive political opposition within Helium.

Reflecting this situation, the Helium nobles sitting in the front rows were whispering to each other. Some even crossed their legs with expressions full of dissatisfaction.

In this increasingly serious atmosphere, I wondered how Cecilly would navigate through it. If the speech ended like this, it could be considered a major failure.

Far from preventing division, even Cecilly’s position could be endangered. What was she thinking to drop such a bomb from the beginning?

[Look at me. I have devil’s wings, my whites have turned black, and my horns have grown larger. I look no different from a devil to anyone. Yet I clearly maintain my rationality. Does this remind you of someone?]

-…Could it be Lilith?

Someone answers Cecilly’s question as if entranced. Though it was a tiny voice, it was loud enough in the quiet square.

Cecilly nodded at this, and while maintaining her devil form, continued with a confident voice.

[Yes. That’s right. The reason I introduced myself as Xenon’s woman, the reason I chose control over restraint. I have shown you that reason myself.]

So that’s what it meant. Cecilly didn’t mean “Xenon’s woman” in the way everyone understood.

Until now, many plot twists have occurred, but none of the characters who were based on real people had appeared.

But with Cecilly showing her devil transformation, the story changed. It suggests that the character’s model actually exists!

The decisive evidence was Cecilly right in front of them, and that’s why she revealed herself as “Xenon’s woman.”

‘You really thought this through well.’

When Cecilly said “Xenon’s woman,” she meant the person who became the model for the character. In other words, she’s claiming to be the person Xenon modeled after! It’s a kind of propaganda.

This propaganda is likely to be effective not only because of the status of the Biography of Xenon but also because she has actually demonstrated the devil transformation.

Moreover, the social culture of this world is more simplified than Earth’s. So if the context is plausible, it will all work.

The possibility of it being a lie? Ask the gods. Even the gods would side with Cecilly.

Why? Because Cecilly didn’t lie. Being “Xenon’s woman” means being my woman, so there’s no lie.

Of course, one could ask if Cecilly actually knows Xenon. But given that even Kate received an ambiguous oracle when trying to find me, it’s unlikely she would receive a proper oracle.

Society, politics, ideology, and finally the absence of lies. Cecilly has caught all the rabbits she could possibly catch.

This confidence is probably why she didn’t discuss it with me separately. I can let it slide at this point.

‘…But she’s really made the Biography of Xenon into a holy scripture.’

This part makes me smile bitterly. But I’m prepared for this, as she did inform me about showing the devil transformation.

All kinds of news stories will break out starting three days from now. I can already hear my father’s workload increasing.

[I, Cecilly Drat Isillia Vin, Xenon’s woman and Princess of Helium, declare: Our demon race no longer needs to fear the evil within. We have no reason to fear evil in order to protect our loved ones. As I just showed you, we no longer need to be confined in a cage. A bird may be safest in a cage, but it wasn’t born to die in one.]

As she said this, Cecilly slowly undid her devil transformation. Exclamations erupted from around as she clearly showed the process of returning to her original form.

Just by canceling the devil transformation, people could see that her words were true.

[All that remains for our demon race is the future ahead. All that’s left is to soar high into the sky with our wings. Though they may not be white wings like angels, we will fly with these wings tinted with pure darkness. Thank you.]

With those words, Cecilly politely bowed her head and stepped down from the platform.

Until she came down from the platform, a heavy silence had settled over the square…

Clap- Clap- Clap-

Starting with my applause.

Clap clap clap clap clap!!!

The square filled with thunderous applause and cheers that began to mingle together.

The demons in particular were more enthusiastic than anyone else, which makes sense if you heard Cecilly’s speech.

It could be a day of liberation from the fate that had troubled them until now.

It would take a long time and effort to remove the shackles that bound the slaves, but just the possibility itself was salvation for the demons.

“Princess Cecilly! Thank you!!”

“Blessings to Princess and Xenon!!”

“Xenon! Thank you so much!!”

Oh my. How embarrassing. Mixed in with the praise for Cecilly was praise directed at me, making my face hot.

I cleared my throat, blushing at the praise that could be heard even through the thunderous applause.

I wanted to somehow calm the heat in my face, but it wasn’t easy. I need to get out of here first.

“Marie. Let’s get up…”

Just as I was about to call Marie, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze from another direction.

I couldn’t help but flinch in surprise when I turned to look.

Hyria was staring at me intently without any change in expression.

“…”

“…”

I silently met her gaze before abruptly turning my head without even greeting her.

For some reason, I felt goosebumps all over my body. Surely she hadn’t been watching me during the speech.

‘…She wouldn’t, right?’

Hyria wouldn’t have that much interest in me.