The woman who introduced herself as the Flame Sovereign with a bland voice glanced around us without changing her expression.
With red hair and scarlet eyes, her face resembled that of a wolf…
She must be in her mid-twenties?
“This Emperor Yan is ninety-seven years old this year. How old are you all?”
Oh my god. She’s a grandma.
“…I’m nineteen. The people behind me are seventeen…”
“I see. Then, since I’m five times older than you, can I drop the formalities?”
Why ask when you’re already doing it? I wanted to roll my eyes, but I stayed quiet for now.
I have no idea what kind of human she is; poking at her could lead to any kind of reaction.
She could suddenly flip out and go crazy. Those of high caliber always have a screw loose somewhere.
If it were just me and Yurasia, it might be fine, but I thought it would be a bit tough to protect Pina and Stella as well.
“Yes. Please… do so.”
Yurasia still nodded without lowering her guard.
“Good. As I said, I am the Flame Sovereign. It’s been two days since I returned from Gebihenum, and I saw you while heading to the Imperial Palace to report to the Emperor.”
Flame Sovereign. I had no reason to doubt that claim.
If she weren’t the Flame Sovereign in front of me, the Empire’s Flame Sovereign would lose her position to this woman.
That alone made her strong.
Could I win?
If I opened all the doors… I might barely squeak out a victory.
But I’d need a second.
During that second, the Flame Sovereign would…
Kill us all and still have time to spare.
Muyeong’s level was similar to Mom’s. But why wasn’t Mom among the six pillars?
As those thoughts crossed my mind, the Flame Sovereign’s gaze bored into me.
“Measuring your strength, are you? So, what’s the conclusion?”
“I can’t win.”
“Right. It wouldn’t make sense for the Flame Sovereign to be defeated by mere seventeen-year-old girls. Especially since you have people to protect—three, no, two, right? Yes, then it’s even less likely you could win.”
…What a cocky, arrogant, infuriating statement.
But I couldn’t argue against it. Damn it.
At least I got the feeling she wasn’t planning on killing us.
If she wanted to, we would have been turned to ash the moment we realized it.
But I can’t be certain. If she gets in a bad mood while talking to us, she could just end us.
Letting out a small sigh, I stepped forward, patting Yurasia’s back.
“Ah, Young Lady…”
“It’s fine.”
I gestured towards Stella and Pina, who were trembling behind us. Yurasia, understanding my words, stood firmly in front of Stella and Pina.
I maintained a calm expression as I looked at the Flame Sovereign.
She was still expressionless.
“What brings you to us?”
“I didn’t come looking for you. I just approached because you caught my eye on my way to the Imperial Palace.”
“Isn’t that still the same as coming to find us?”
The Flame Sovereign, momentarily lost in thought, nodded with her usual blank expression.
“Hmm. You’re right. I’ve heard a lot about the golden child of Eustetia. Turius and Julie have raised their daughter quite well.”
“Well, Turius and Julie have really raised their daughter boldly.”
“Do you know my dad and mom?”
“We’re close.”
“Hmm, but… I learned to be cautious of people who say they’re close to their parents in public. They say all those people are bad, so stay away from them.”
“I can’t deny that. But the Flame Sovereign is not a bad person. He hasn’t told a lie. Still, do you dislike the Flame Sovereign?”
“How could I dislike the Flame Sovereign? It’s just uncomfortable. There’s no human who wouldn’t feel uneasy in front of a being that could kill us with a single gesture.”
“Indeed. The Flame Sovereign is an uncomfortable presence.”
What is this guy?
I’m trying to scratch the surface, but there’s not even a tingle. It feels like scratching flowing water.
“But with so many people around, how can no one recognize the Flame Sovereign?”
“The Flame Sovereign made it so.”
“Magic?”
“Magic.”
“Oh.”
“Hmm.”
“Then the flames surrounding us must be that?”
At my words, the Flame Sovereign’s eyes twitched slightly.
“Did you see it?”
“I didn’t see it, but I felt it.”
“What rank are you?”
“5th Rank.”
“Then you shouldn’t be able to feel it. How did you know?”
“…It’s a feeling.”
The Flame Sovereign tilted his head. After a moment, he nodded as if he understood something.
“It’s a woman’s intuition. Very similar to Julie.”
“…That’s not true, but the latter part is correct.”
“Your stiff speech also resembles Julie.”
Is mom’s speech really stiff?
I can’t imagine that at all.
Well, when I was Muyeong, I did write in a stiff manner… I could use a stiff tone with people I’m not close to.
Did the Flame Sovereign say she’s close to my mom and dad?
From what I see, that’s just her assumption.
After exchanging a few words, it’s clear.
The Flame Sovereign. This woman is a total nerd.
What’s more, she’s a nerd who doesn’t even know she’s a nerd.
“So, what brings you here?”
I checked my pocket watch and looked at the Flame Sovereign. It’s almost time for the appointment.
“That pocket watch is nice.”
The Flame Sovereign’s eyes sparkled as she looked at my pocket watch.
“…Could you answer my question first?”
“Oh, right. I asked what brought me to you.”
The Flame Sovereign’s gaze shifted from my pocket watch to Yurasia’s waist.
“I came because I saw you holding a good sword.”
Diana’s sword.
Eustetia’s sword.
The sword I gave.
I immediately knew which one she was looking at. The one on the right waist. She’s looking at the sword I gave.
“What is your name?”
“…Yurasia Espirot.”
“Alright. Yurasia. Are you the owner of that sword?”
“Yes.”
I answered on her behalf.
The Flame Sovereign’s gaze was fixed on me.
The Flame Sovereign’s gaze pierced through me.
“Eliaernes Eustetia. Do you know what that sword is?”
“Do you, Flame Sovereign?”
“The sword of the legendary hero.”
“…Huh.”
The Flame Sovereign answered casually. But I felt something like a barrier forming around me and tightly clenched my fists, glancing back.
Sound. The sound was blocked.
“Do not be on guard. This Flame Sovereign has no intention of harming you.”
“How can I believe that?”
“I swear.”
As the Flame Sovereign’s words ended, fiery mana flowed from her mouth and seeped into my heart.
“This Flame Sovereign will not kill you. Will not hurt you. Will not touch you. Will not frighten you. Will not inconvenience you. Will not tell lies. What this Flame Sovereign tells you is only truth.”
“What if I’m already uncomfortable?”
“Though you say that, it seems like you aren’t truly uncomfortable at all. Eliaernes. You are not afraid of this Flame Sovereign. Why? Can you win? At least, you might come back alive. This Flame Sovereign cannot fully grasp your abilities, but I know that confidence comes from a heart that does not wish to die.”
Saying this, the Flame Sovereign grinned.
“That’s why I quite like you.”
“…How did we arrive at that conclusion?”
“Understand that on your own. Now, Eliaernes. You asked what that sword is. This Flame Sovereign answered. Now it’s my turn to ask. Right?”
What a peculiar way of speaking.
Do humans turn like that when they get close to a hundred years old?
That doesn’t seem right… Does she just enjoy the title of Flame Sovereign?
I swallowed a sigh and nodded.
“That’s correct.”
“Did you bring that from the underground sewer?”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the Flame Sovereign.
How much does she know?
“It’s not pleasant to be suspected by a little one whom this Flame Sovereign likes. So I will tell you.”
The Flame Sovereign took a step closer. Clatter—Yurasia half-drew her sword from behind. I immediately raised one hand to calm Yurasia down.
“In the back alleys of the system, there is the Information Guild. A girl named Ophelia Bloomin is the owner. She is a Puppeteer. That girl also attends Karela Academy, and her master is Uje.”
My head went blank with the sudden influx of information.
“…Did you say Ophelia is a student at the Academy?”
“That’s right. Have you never seen her?”
“I’ve never seen her…”
Have I seen her? I searched through my mind but found nothing.
That blue-haired girl is impossible to forget.
Moreover, when I brought up the Academy at Ophelia’s hideout, she showed no reaction at all.
Does that mean everything I saw in front of me was just an act?
It seems… I’ll need to pay her another visit soon.
“Typically, those little Puppeteers are all the same. They plot sinister and vile deeds in dark places.”
“And Uje… what do you mean by being your disciple?”
“Uje, one of the six pillars, is a Puppeteer. Ophelia is also a Puppeteer. Ophelia is exceptionally talented. Uje took that girl as a disciple and is helping her run the Information Guild.”
“I heard the Information Guild is an organization under the Cartel.”
“Those called the six pillars can do more than you think.”
The six pillars. So Uje has a hand in the Cartel as well?
This is… quite an expensive piece of information.
This isn’t something you hear out of the blue. Flame Sovereign… what on earth is this woman doing?
“Hmm… from what Flame Sovereign has said so far… It seems you learned that information from the Information Guild and found out what lies at the end of it.”
“That’s correct, but it’s a bit different. I didn’t ask the Information Guild about it. I went directly to Uje. After hearing the answer, I came to the system. But there was nothing in the underground passage. So I went back to Uje. When I smashed a few dolls, he responded. The Labyrinth in the underground passage had already been unraveled.”
A smile appeared on Flame Sovereign’s face once more.
It was a very awkward and dorky smile.
“Here stands the one who unraveled that Labyrinth before me. Then, it would be right to assume that it was brought from the underground. Is this the correct deduction of the Flame Sovereign?”
“…I managed to unravel it thanks to Muyeong.”
“Haha! Is that so? Well, it can’t be helped. Flame Sovereign is still under suspicion, so let me introduce myself again. I, Flame Sovereign, am chasing the traces of past heroes from Gebihenum.”
I tilted my head at the sudden and random topic. Of course… I know that Flame Sovereign is chasing our traces in Gebihenum.
I also know that the treasures Flame Sovereign brought filled the Imperial Palace’s Treasure House.
But why is she suddenly discussing this?
“Then have you never questioned how Flame Sovereign can track their traces? Already 400 years have passed. Even if they left great traces, they would have weathered, disappeared, and been covered. Yet Flame Sovereign chases them. How?”
Flame Sovereign smiled.
“I am both the Flame Sovereign (炎皇) and the Flame Sovereign (念皇).”
Flame Sovereign spread her arms wide as she spoke.
“As the Emperor of Flames, I am the Flame Sovereign (炎皇). Furthermore, to me, longing for a genuine emperor is like yearning for the heroes, reading the traces that have turned to ashes, the remnants of the past; I am the Flame Sovereign (念皇). Do you understand?”
“No, I don’t. Not at all.”
“Hmm, it’s fine if you don’t understand. You’re still young, so I can understand.”
Her red hair fluttered in the air. Those flame-like orange eyes were fixed on me.
“So, I read the traces within the underground passage and traced back through time. Thus, I learned. Eliaernes Eustetia. What is your relation to that person?”
“…that person?”
Flame Sovereign smiled brightly, like a child.
“The Fortress of Storms.”
