episode_0103

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“I’m asking why you’re suddenly being so cooperative.”

Eliya questioned as she watched Kristin rise to her feet with an indifferent expression.

“It’s hard to believe you’re the same person who refused to say a word just moments ago. Quite the change, I’d say.”

“Oh, that? You’re asking the obvious. I sympathized with your position, and I feel sorry, so that’s why.”

“You feel sorry?”

“Yeah.”

Kristin lightly rubbed her wrist.

“After hearing how you were trying to manipulate us earlier, I thought about it in my own way. I could feel it too. I’m not the kind of person who can stand above others.”

“How unfortunate that you’ve realized that now.”

“Don’t mock me. I’ve been struggling and trying in my own way, you know. But after hearing what you just said, it’s like everything clicked. It felt clear, like a weight lifted.”

Kristin lightly tapped her foot.

“Eliya. Why do you think I was so desperate to become the family head?”

“Isn’t it obvious? To rise to the position, of course. The title of Grave Family head isn’t something you can earn through ordinary effort. Especially when there’s already a legitimate heir.”

“Hmm, to become the heir. That’s not wrong, but I’m asking for a more fundamental reason.”

“You’re speaking in riddles now. Neither of us likes beating around the bush, do we? Did you pick up that habit from Eric after being on the receiving end of it so much in the past world?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, yeah.”

Deliberately speaking in circles without getting to the point had been Eric’s habit. Of course, he had to be careful with every word, knowing even a single phrase could drastically change them—but back then, they hadn’t realized that.

“Families rub off on each other, don’t they? Maybe I ended up picking it up after trying so hard.”

“……”

The atmosphere in the room had completely reversed as Kristin walked quietly.

“Becoming the family head, working hard, practicing magic like a maniac every day, putting on a show of being kind and refined in front of other academy students—it was all just to survive. That’s the one thing that hasn’t changed since the day I was picked up off the streets.”

“To survive?”

“Yeah. You could call it the result of learning how to navigate the world. It was always in the back of my mind, but… well, I’m not good at putting it into words. I realized I could never be a natural-born ruler like you, no matter how many times I died and came back to life. And that’s not a joke—I mean the ‘died and came back’ part.”

“I’m not so callous as to laugh at such a tasteless joke.”

“Good. Back to what I was saying—the only thing left for me now is protecting Eric. Other than survival, he’s the only one who’s given me a second purpose. But you saw what happened when I tried to save him this time. So I’ve given up.”

“Given up? On what?”

“Thinking for myself. Even in the past world, every time I tried to act on my own thoughts, things went wrong. The Eldora subjugation, the Grave family purge, even when I doubted Eric—it all backfired. So from now on, I’ll leave it to you, okay?”

“Are you done?”

“Huh?”

“There’s nothing you can’t say out loud. What you’re doing now isn’t accepting reality or facing your limits. You’re just running away.”

Eliya’s tone was icy, devoid of any sympathy for Kristin’s self-deprecation. Their relationship wasn’t soft or fragile enough to be swayed by mere displays of vulnerability.

“What if, by some chance, I fail? Will you blame yourself and give up then? With that attitude, Eric’s judgment must’ve dulled considerably. I never thought the companion of the hero who’s supposed to fight the Demon King would be this passive.”

“In front of Eric, I was always the bold, lively Kris. And just because I said I’d follow your orders doesn’t mean I’ll be dragged around completely. I told you—I’ll protect Eric no matter what. If your plans put him in danger or demand his sacrifice, I’ll stop it with everything I have. Even if I have to resort to force.”

“Kris…”

“Think of it as a safety net. I’ll follow you and listen to what you say, but only because I can’t think of anyone better than you to protect Eric. It’s less about submission and more like an alliance.”

“How shameless. Who was it that locked Eric down there in the first place?”

“You have a plan, don’t you? If groveling and banging my head on the floor would solve things, I’d have done it ages ago. But that wouldn’t mean anything to you. And even if I apologized to Eric—do you think he’d accept it?”

“…I can’t deny that.”

The Eric Eliya knew wouldn’t blame Kristin—he’d take responsibility for failing to execute his plans properly. Even if it cost him his life, throwing himself into danger for others was the essence of Eric Grave. Though he acted prickly to hide it, to Eliya now, it was as transparent as an animal puffing itself up to look threatening.

“Consider this a little test to see if you can truly become the leader who protects and guides all of us, including Eric. It might be a tough challenge, though.”

“‘Tough’ is an understatement. You expect me to capture the Demon King with people like you?”

“But if you can’t even handle this, you can’t call yourself the future empress. In the past world, even after you took the throne, you didn’t do much to help, did you? If you can’t even handle me properly, then drop this act of trying to save Eric. Locking him up where he can’t go anywhere would be far safer.”

Eliya glared at Kristin without a word. Kristin met her gaze unflinchingly.

In the end, it was Eliya who looked away first.

“I’ll head to Eric’s rescue site. You follow discreetly. If you leave traces or get tailed, it’ll be a nuisance. Act as if you only learned about it after waking up in the morning. I assume you’ve already silenced the servants?”

“Of course. Our staff are kind and loyal, after all.”

“How fortunate. Not that you’ll be much help there anyway. We’ll only check the site briefly before returning immediately.”

“Return immediately? Why?”

“As you said, to become the perfect empress, Eric and Cecilia’s rescue must happen at the most dramatic, most desperate moment. It’s unfortunate for them, but without such a clear opportunity, it won’t be easy to secure an overwhelming advantage over the other siblings.”

“What?”

This time, it was Kristin’s turn to freeze.

“Didn’t you hear? We’re leaving Eric and Cecilia—”

“What if Eric dies?! Even you don’t know how long he can last down there!”

“It’s Eric and Cecilia. The chances of them panicking or losing their minds are slim. Besides—”

“Besides what?! Have you lost your mind?! They’re trapped in a tiny space with no food or water!”

All traces of her earlier mocking tone vanished as Kristin fired back at Eliya in rapid succession.

“We don’t even have enough time to save them now, and you’re talking about waiting?!”

“This was your idea, Kristin Grave. If an incident occurs, it’s only natural for an empress to seek the maximum benefit from it.”

Eliya’s tone had returned to its usual cold, arrogant cadence as she waved her hand dismissively.

“The sooner we rescue them, the less the public’s murmurs and suspicions will fade. Given the location of the incident and the impending power imbalance between the Church and the Empire, it’s even more crucial.”

This collapse of the First Church won’t end as a simple accident.

As the place where the Pope frequently resided, preached, and where countless holy relics were gathered, the First Church had become an object of reverence among the Empire’s citizens—not just for the Goddess, but for the institution itself.

“The Church brought peace and reassurance to the people. But if it could be breached so easily by just a few mages and priests, then even in this Empire, the Church will be seen as untrustworthy—no longer a place that can guarantee their safety.”

“That’s just because we’re strong!”

“Are you going to parade around announcing that you and Cecilia are the heroes of the unawakened party? Eric tried so hard to stop that. If you do, his expression after being rescued will be quite the sight.”