/
[What do you want me to call you?!]
She was touched by the fact she got to reunite with her childhood friends. But Lelia was still in shock, as if she had taken a blow to her head.
“There’s nothing to be so moved about. We were already here for Leo.”
“…”
Lelia gulped down her words.
Yes, the excitement was touching. But…
“Come on, say it! Say Brother!”
“…”
Kalix urged excitedly. The rest of them looked at Kalix with ‘what’s wrong with him?’ eyes.
Lelia quivered and slowly opened her mouth.
“Uh… brother…?”
“Good job! From now on, you are our sister!”
Kalix slapped Lelia on the shoulder.
[I used to be the captain…]
Somehow her self-esteem was trampled on.
Lelia bowed her head in shame and finished the rest of her meal.
Griffith watched Lelia closely.
***
That evening.
Lelia was dragged around by her friends all day as they told her stories about Leo.
She even had to go to the cemetery where the real Leo was buried. After the death of Prince Leo, Emperor Lydios buried his son’s body in the best spot of the royal cemetery. Although he was killed by Perseus, there was no trace of Lydios’ grave. Fortunately, Emperor Perseus did not touch Prince Leo’s grave.
[Editor: Interesting that Perseus can show mercy to a dead child but not a living one.]
After stopping by the cemetery, they headed to a bar on the main street.
A glass of wine the size of her face was placed in front of Lelia.
“…”
Unlike Lelia, who hesitated, the four men gulped down their drinks.
Lelia was reunited with her friends and she resented having to tell lies again.
[I dreamed of a touching reunion…]
[I wanted to hug each of them and talk with them all night long.]
While Lelia was eating fruit served as a snack, the four talked about what to do in the future.
They’d originally reunited to avenge Leo’s death, but the purpose was now unclear because the culprit who killed Leo had already died.
“Well, I’m just gonna be a mercenary like before.”
“Are your eyes really okay?”
“It’s getting better.”
Kalix shrugged as if nothing had happened.
[You’re lying. You’re going blind.]
Lelia clenched her jaw and listened to their conversation.
“What are you going to do?” Kalix asked Oscar.
“…I’m going back home.” Oscar replied.
Lelia still couldn’t believe it was Oscar.
[Of course, I knew it from the original book. But….]
In the original book, Oscar was considered a bloody emperor, and called a psychopath.
It was because of his past full of misfortunes, and now that past had changed. She thought that he would grow to be as bright and pure as he was when he was young.
She was wrong.
“Back home? Oh yeah, you are the Crown Prince, aren’t you?” Kalix chuckled, saying he had forgotten for a moment.
“Yes, I have some work to do at home.”
Oscar replied in a low voice.
Lelia gulped down her fear.
[Yes… there must be work to do at home.]
In the novel, Oscar returns home and kills his father, the emperor. Perhaps that is what he needed to do.
“…”
At that moment, Lelia made eye contact with Oscar.
Unlike when he was young, his red eyes were frighteningly intense now. Lelia gaze slipped away from him.
When she’d imagined their reunion, she was going to hug him and ask; ‘Did you cry every night because of nightmares like when you were little?’
[If I were to say that now, I’d suffer through a nightmare.]
“I have work to do when I get home, too.” Griffith said.
Griffith in the original novel goes back to his home country, cuts ties with his family, and heads to the temple to become the master of the Holy Sword.
“Romeo, what about you?”
When Griffith asked, Romeo stroked his chin for a moment.
“I… Well, I have nothing to do.”
It was only natural.
[Romeo is unemployed…]
After giving up the throne, Romeo’s parents supported him in whatever he did to allow him to live freely. So he had nothing to do. In the novel, he eventually built a magic tower and became the master of it, but that wasn’t until later in the story.
‘What about you?’ Romeo gestured at Lelia.
Four pairs of eyes turned to Lelia.
“I… Me?”
Lelia blinked and looked over to them awkwardly.
There was still a quest mark of [!] above their heads, along with a number presumed to be favorability.
Unlike before when everyone at first was [-999], there had been a slight change.
Oscar was not much different at [-700], Griffith was now [-520], Romeo [-200], and Kalix was [?].
‘What does the question mark mean?’
That was when a message popped up
Optimized to a system dedicated to special UI mode! You can give commands without pressing the (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ button!٩(*˙︶˙*)
An alchemy window with a slightly different feel from the original speech bubble appeared. The text was floating in a semi-transparent square window, probably because it was a dedicated UI mode.
[You can give commands without pressing a button?]
Lelia looked carefully at the [?] floating on Kalix’s head. The text appeared immediately.
Special favorability can be checked any time you use a crystal or complete a hidden quest when the value goes into the + !o(≧∇≦o)
“…”
A crystal…
Lelia sighed inside and mumbled, “I’ve got work to do…”
“What is it?” Kalix asked.
Lelia dodged his eyes for a moment and answered vaguely.
“I left something behind before I ran away from the Imperial Castle. I have to go find it.”
“Imperial Castle? How are you going to get in there? You’ve been missing for a long time.”
“That’s… Well, I have to think about it…” Lelia answered Romeo with a small smile.
She couldn’t honestly say, ‘I’m going to use an alchemy concoction to knock the guards out and sneak in.’
She was worried her friends may doubt her again when they come to know about her use of alchemy.
“You left it in the luxurious building you used to live in?”
“It wasn’t luxurious,” Lelia tilted her head at Romeo’s muttering.
[Cedric and Demian fixed the tower.]
Lelia said with a bitter look that the tower she’d lived in was on the verge of collapse.
[Fortunately, that’s not where I’m looking.]
“Do you want us to help you in finding it?”
“…No, I have to go by myself.”
The cabin was different from the small tower. It should’ve remained the way it was back then. It’s a most precious possession to Emperor Perseus.
“Then let’s do this.”
Kalix waved his hand as if everything had been cleared up and focused everyone’s attention.
“Oscar and Griffith, you can go home. Romeo, you help me and the baby.”
Kalix pointed to Lelia as the “baby.” Lelia rolled her eyes in embarrassment.
Kalix patted Lelia on the head and said, “You said you need to go to the Imperial Castle. Instead of getting revenge for Leo, these brothers will help you.”
“Well… I’m fine….”
“That’s alright.”
Regardless of Lelia’s words, Romeo made the decision without her.
“I’ll stop by again after I go home,” Griffith said. Oscar, on the other hand, just stared at Lelia without saying a word.
[Editor: I feel like Oscar’s figured it out.]
“…….”
Lelia felt like everything was spinning in front of her eyes.
All the plans she had made so far were being messed up. Meeting friends was her most important and final goal. It was a goal that wasn’t supposed to happen now, but after the restoration of the Sacred Watch and the breaking of the Golden Words spell.
[First, let’s calm down.]
Lelia recalled the plans in her head.
Kalix and Romeo will intervene in her first and most important plan, invading the Imperial Palace…
Lelia looked at them drinking with excitement, not knowing what was going on inside her.
Griffith looked at Lelia’s eyes, a mixture of irritation and pity.
***
Now that this had happened, Griffith and Oscar decided to hurry on their way.
“Take care.”
Kalix and Romeo said goodbye to the two people who were leaving for a while.
Lelia offered her hand to them.
Griffith accepted the handshake with a sour face, but Oscar refused.
He left after saying goodbye to his friends with a rough look.
Lelia didn’t make eye contact a single time.
[Oscar…]
Lelia said goodbye to him in a faint voice.
Griffith also left without hesitation.
Griffith and Oscar decided to return in a month, right before Leo’s birthday.
The four of them would gather again to say goodbye to Leo’s grave, and afterwards they decided to part ways.
‘Now we will be living our own lives.’
She needed to find the Sacred Watch half before the two of them came back.
A month should be enough.
[The problem is…]
Lelia glanced at Romeo and Kalix as if they were in her way.
The two said they would stay in the capital and help Lelia until Oscar and Griffith returned. Rather than helping, it was a disruptive situation. Sadly, she had no choice.
If she refused, they might doubt her again.
That evening.
Lelia ate at a restaurant, near her inn, with Kalix and Oscar.
At the end of the meal, Kalix spoke firmly to Lelia, stopping her from refusing them.
“There’s no way you can enter the Imperial Castle alone, right? So we’re here to help. You’re our little sister.”
“…”
At Kalix’s words, Lelia had no choice but to nod her head. She had to hide her alchemy, so there was no way now.
She had no choice, but to enter the Imperial Castle with Kalix and Romeo’s help.
Romeo then asked Kalix with a plaintive look on his face, “Hey… On what grounds are you so confident? Who are you going to ask to get us invited in? What if someone recognizes her face?”
Kalix blinked his eyes as if he hadn’t thought of that.
“I knew it.”
Romeo clicked his tongue and criticized Kalix.
“No one will recognize me except the Emperor.”
“Really?”
At Lelia’s words, Romeo agonized for a moment. Then suddenly said while tapping his chest with his palm.
“Then we’ll just say you’re my fiance.”
[T/N: …]
[Editor: BWAHAHAHAHAHA]