Chapter 168

Chapter 168

I Proposed While Drunk and Now the Princesses are Obsessed.

Episode 168: 0th Princess, Reunion, Forced Marriage (43)

Jaekiel accompanied Ilaref.

“How does it feel to be the protagonist of the Palace uproar? It must be harder now to avoid hearing stories about you, Auditor. It must have been quite an experience.”

“Finish telling me about the Spider Goddess.”

“Oh, I’ve gotten a little carried away with small talk.”

Ilaref shrugged his shoulders.

“First of all, the Spider Goddess is alive. The three princesses were there, and since the Spider Goddess didn’t resist at all, capturing her was not difficult.”

Akne didn’t resist at all?

Was it for his sake? It seemed likely. When he thought back on her words and actions, there was no other possibility.

“Thanks to that, the Tribunal is very busy. Even when capturing a high-ranking demon, decisions need to be made carefully. But a Demon God walked in on her own? That’s unprecedented.”

“…”

Jaekiel suddenly scanned the surroundings.

There were many palace figures openly watching Jaekiel and Ilaref. Was it really alright to discuss such highly classified information so openly?

But soon, he understood.

‘Concealment?’

Despite walking in a noticeable manner, no one in the Palace seemed to recognize Ilaref. He must have used the technique of concealing his presence.

It seemed like Ilaref read Jaekiel’s thoughts as he spoke.

“Don’t worry. I’m the Emperor’s right hand, and it’s second nature for me to act while concealing my identity. I think you’d understand this easily, Jaekiel.”

Was Ilaref doing the same things Jaekiel had done when he hid his identity?

It was easy to understand. Even though Jaekiel’s fame had skyrocketed, when he thought back on his life, the years spent hiding his identity far outweighed the current period.

Understanding that, he moved on to his next question.

“Where is the Emperor right now?”

“I believe he is negotiating with the Demon Lord.”

Ilaref answered briefly.

“Something huge has happened, and if we don’t want it to escalate into war, the higher-ups will need to settle it. I don’t know what terms are involved, though.”

“Terms…”

Jaekiel felt an ominous chill at those words.

When the Demon Realm war ended, the Emperor had handed Akne over to the Demon Lord. Was something like that about to happen again, causing another tragedy?

“Can I ask about the terms later?”

“Well, I truly don’t know.”

It didn’t seem like he was lying. Jaekiel would have no choice but to ask the Emperor directly later.

He immediately moved on to the next topic.

“What’s the condition of the princesses?”

“They’re unharmed, not even a single hair damaged. But I’m not sure if I can say they’re completely fine.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Each princess had an interview with the Spider Goddess. I don’t know what they talked about, but the expressions as they left the room weren’t good. They looked quite disturbed.”

“…”

The princesses had a chance to speak with Akne?

Jaekiel suddenly imagined the conversation that might have happened, starting with the First Princess and Akne.

─What’s your relationship with the Teacher?

─…

─Hey, I asked what your relationship with the Teacher is.

─What? The insect’s talking…

‘Oh, no way.’

Jaekiel shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought.

He could only hope that no terrible conversation had occurred between the princesses and Akne.

“Maybe you could tell me what was discussed…?”

“Alright. I’ll tell you the rest indoors.”

Ilaref entered a building in the Palace.

However, even Jaekiel, who was very familiar with the layout of the Palace, had never seen this building before. No matter how hard he tried to remember, this place did not exist.

As they entered, long rows of desks appeared, each occupied by people. Papers were flying from the desks to the floor, piling up.

Soon, everyone stood up at once, showing respect.

“Welcome!”

Jaekiel quickly assessed their main features.

‘There’s a noticeable callus between their index and middle fingers.’

Everyone gathered here appeared to be scribes, the officials who specialize in writing and recording orders.

“Ilaref, what is this place?”

“As you can see, these are scribes, and this place has been newly established. It’s all focused on you, Jaekiel.”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

Ilaref nodded.

“Your accomplishments are so fast and numerous, so the creation of this department was unavoidable. A small number of scribes couldn’t keep up with recording everything accurately and swiftly.”

As Jaekiel followed Ilaref deeper into the record office, he noticed the scribes’ gazes. Surprisingly, they all looked at him with admiring eyes.

“That’s Jaekiel… It’s the first time I’ve seen him in person.”

“He’s handsome and dignified. He doesn’t seem like someone who would be on the battlefield.”

“The person behind the events that were only written down… finally, we get to write his achievements in print. It’s rewarding.”

It was a feeling that was still strange every time.

He suddenly thought back to the past.

─Jaekiel, you handled this a bit too aggressively.

─I had no choice for the sake of completing the task.

─The scribes are really struggling. When you commit murder, it’s up to the scribes to cover it up nicely. Do better next time.

He was told to prioritize mission success, but when he succeeded, they scolded him for not doing better. Jaekiel had truly been treated this way back then.

In reality, the scribes were notorious for being difficult.

History is ultimately written down, right? Therefore, they were known to hold great power, and it was strange to see them admiring Jaekiel now.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Jaekiel deliberately used polite language to greet the scribes, hoping they would record things more favorably.

Perhaps because of his long period of anonymity, he had a desire to be remembered favorably in the records.

“He’s personally greeting us…?”

Fortunately, it had the desired effect.

The scribes were both surprised and delighted.

As they walked, they soon arrived at the innermost part of the record office, where a very private meeting room appeared. Ilaref and Jaekiel sat facing each other.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Is that alright?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted.”

“Good.”

Ilaref nodded and picked up a thick stack of documents. The writing on them was dense.

“Rescue of citizens equivalent to the population of a city, destruction of a demon city, single-handed defeat of a Demon God…”

He adjusted his monocle and continued cautiously.

“First, these accomplishments have been thoroughly recorded. The testimony of the liberated people will be extremely helpful, and you will likely receive great rewards.”

“Are you saying the processing has already been completed?”

Jaekiel asked in surprise.

He wondered if the record office that was dedicated to him was real or if it was just a lie. Despite being unconscious for a week and not saying a word, they already knew a great deal.

“Yes. You’ll have it much easier from now on. The record office will handle everything as soon as you act.”

He adjusted the frame of his monocle.

“You’ll need to deal with the betrayal of the Purple Tower soon… Hmm, it’s better to put that conversation off for now. The most important topic seems to be this.”

Ilaref swiftly removed the massive stack of documents, leaving only one page.

“Let’s talk briefly about the princesses.”

His expression became very serious.

“The First Princess, the Second Princess, and the Third Princess… They all requested to be notified as soon as you regain your stability. It’s just as important as any official matter.”

“Stop.”

Jaekiel interrupted Ilaref.

“I asked to talk about the Spider Goddess, but it feels like the conversation keeps straying. You said we’d get to the point, so why are you avoiding it?”

Ilaref raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm? I think you’re misunderstanding. The story I’m telling right now is directly related to the Spider Goddess.”

“I don’t understand.”

“In the interview with the Spider Goddess and the princesses, it seems the Spider Goddess expressed an excessive amount of affection for you, Jaekiel. The princesses are clearly concerned about that.”

“…”

In the end, the worst-case scenario had happened.

If it had just been a tense conversation, it would have been better. But Akne had gone so far as to express affection.

“…”

Cold sweat started to form.

His mouth, once moist, dried up instantly.

“You probably hope the Spider Goddess can survive, Jaekiel. But that’s up to the princesses. The Tribunal operates independently, and the only ones above them are the Emperor and the princesses.”

His mind was filled with ominous thoughts at that moment.

Ilaref casually spoke.

“Jaekiel, there is a way to resolve this.”

“A way to resolve it?”

“Yes. Aren’t you forgetting something? Why would the princesses keep the Spider Goddess alive? They could have killed her and just notified you.”

Nothing came to mind.

After a long pause, Jaekiel spoke.

“Ilaref, just tell me the conclusion.”

“Hahaha!”

Ilaref laughed heartily.

“You still have the five tickets, right? You’ll need to use them wisely to find the best solution. All three princesses must agree to prevent the execution.”

“Five tickets?”

Ah, it suddenly came to mind.

In the end, the moment had come when he had no choice but to use them.

“By the way, the princesses are really looking forward to it.”

“Uh….”

…How should he use this?

Really… how?