Leave a comment

A light flick was delivered to Lucella’s forehead.

Of course, a forehead flick from ordinary strength wouldn’t inflict any damage to her.

“You i-di-ot.”

Ivar spoke with a sigh that seemed like he was spitting out a lump of iron.

“If you tell him, the Empire will know. The military, the ‘Seventh,’ and if things go south, even the Prime Minister!”
“I’m sorry…”
“In this case, you’re the one in a tough spot, so it’s whatever.”

Revealing her true identity was an impulsive action. Even if given the chance to turn back time, she might still do the same, but she still felt sorry for Ivar, who supported her with tactics and information.

“Well, forget about it. Eat before it gets cold. The owner is treating us.”

Before Lucella was a mountain of food.

Even though the hotel’s cleanup after the incident hadn’t been completed yet, Lucella’s group was receiving unbelievable hospitality in the hotel’s large dining hall.

More than half of the dishes lined up were unknown to Lucella. There were dishes like something resembling a soft, juicy pie and a whole roasted giant bird with crispy skin. There was also a golden soup with something translucent floating in it, and a mysterious bowl that, judging by its atmosphere, seemed to contain something sweet.

The table, which could easily accommodate more than ten people, was packed with food, clearly more than a portion for four.

“Eating all of this before it gets cold is impossible, right?”

Monica had cleverly brought her Chrome Shooter and was photographing the spread like it was a culinary inspection.

“This trip seems to have a connection with a massive amount of food…”
“Don’t hesitate to leave some; the subordinate kids will eat it.”

Lucella sensed that, more than serving delicious food, the intention was to express gratitude through the overwhelming amount of dishes. It was a luxurious gesture.

Even though it was a banquet of gratitude and hospitality, there was no host to welcome the main guest, Lucella. Even Ivar was indulging as a guest.

In this case, the absence of the host might be a form of consideration.

“Thanks to this, I’ve put a pause on my fights. Nothing’s really resolved, but the guy I wanted to see die horribly has met his end. Well, technically, he’s going to die from now on, but it doesn’t change much.”

Ivar expressed his satisfaction, casually devouring the food looking like he was the star of this feast.

“May I ask what happened?”
“To explain it to the respectable folk, it would need a conversation beyond the realms of culture and education. So, let’s just talk about the framework. As Emperor Richard’s forces began their expedition, those b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲ also started their incursions. The folk that got pushed out or expelled even from the old kingdom’s underworld… these utterly hopeless people managed to succeed in the conquered territories. And then, they returned triumphant with newfound power. These b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲ who rose into power on conquered territories where might made right have no moral code.”

Maltgartz, who conquered many countries and established the Empire, denied and destroyed existing power structures in the conquered territories, creating what suited them. Such large-scale destruction couldn’t be contained to the visible world alone; the underworld, like a shattered piece of pottery on the floor, also fell apart. And seizing this chaos as an opportunity, just as Emperor Richard did in the light, the lurking forces of darkness also began a grand conquest.

“I supported them for what they paid me, and also did business with clients’ enemies. The old folks understood that and didn’t say anything, as it was a mutually beneficial arrangement. The newcomers, on the other hand, were different.”

Ivar took a sip of a very strong-smelling drink. There was something shining in his hand. He was wearing a ring on his left pinky, something he usually didn’t wear.

“I wonder how it looks from the Imperial Palace. The view of maps being redrawn…”

Ivar’s words, uncharacteristically poetic, carried a sense of reflection. It didn’t seem like he was expecting anyone to answer.

“Lucella, you’re messy.”
“Huh?”

Having indulged in overly sweet shrimp, Lucella had sauce smeared below her lips. Before Lucella could react, Kafal wiped it away with a napkin. Lucella accepted it passively, while Monica captured the scene with her Chrome Shooter.

“…Are you going to show that to everyone?”
“Of course.”
“Stop it.”
“Nope.”

Though she was told it would be fine to do it tomorrow, Lucella headed to visit the injured after finishing her meal.

As this was a hotel, there was no shortage of beds.

The lower-floor guest rooms were temporarily used as treatment rooms for those who had survived the incident but sustained injuries.

Among them was, of course, Efrain.

“Lady Lucella! I mean, err…”

Seeing Lucella, Efrain bounced up with only his upper body.

His leg was wrapped in a bloodstained bandage while lying on a bed.

It seemed to be a leftover mark from treating the wound that was forcibly plugged using potions so that there would be no after-effects.

If done promptly, there would be no scars, and it would heal well.

It also felt like Efrain got preferential treatment since he was a bureaucrat… but that wasn’t important now.

“My name from the past disappeared from this world. I myself can’t remember it. That’s why, call me Lucella.”
“Seriously? I see… So something like that really did happen…”

Efrain said in a tone more reflective than surprised.

As Lucella and Ivar expected, the information the Empire could gather about Lucella was particularly limited to recent events.

During the time wandering with Giselle, Lucella had traversed various adventurer guilds in different countries. Since accurate footsteps couldn’t be traced without extracting information from all of them, the Empire’s information-gathering capability couldn’t grasp it all.

“Yeah… I used to be good at remembering people’s names, so I wondered why I couldn’t remember his name… I sometimes thought I might be more heartless than I thought. I never expected the story to unfold like this.”
“What happened after you went to university?”
“As an Imperial bureaucrat, it was a straightforward path. I graduated from university, took the exams, became a bureaucrat in the Foreign Affairs Department, and three years later, I was granted a title. Of course, no land, not even a square millimeter.”

Efrain spoke with a smile.

Without boasting or intimidating, he recounted his own circumstances as a successful individual.

The titles of bureaucrats were akin to knights declaring their names on the battlefield. Flaunting it was a weapon of its own, and its mere existence was rare.

“How about you, Lucella… Ah, I’m still not used to calling you that! How have you been?”
“I found clerical work at a shipping company, but the company was quickly dissolved. There was an announcement about involvement in the illegal import of forbidden books… I don’t know if it’s true.”

Lucella said, being careful not to sound too bitter.

It was common in conquered territories.

Things that displeased the Empire were often crushed with unreasonable excuses. This was especially true for pre-existing entities. The lower ranks could only speculate on what the actual problem was, enduring the suffering.

“So, after that, I had various mediocre jobs… In the end, I ended up with a newly established caravan involved in risky business. The caravan leader was unbelievably thoughtless, and I got stranded in the snowy mountains on my first job. That’s where I was rescued by a passing adventurer, and the rest, as you know.”

The story was in stark contrast to Efrain’s. Ups and downs, full of twists and turns. Lucella would rather it was laughed about. She didn’t want Efrain to pity her.

“Do you visit the juvenile dormitory?”
“Of course! Like my seniors did, I want to take care of the juniors in various ways.”
“Is Professor Katarina still active?”
“She’s as lively as ever. She’s still stirring that giant pot like crazy. I’m more worried about her back than anything!”

The vivid scenes Efrain described were so imaginable, strangely humorous, and the pressure was immense. Lucella couldn’t help but laugh. Both of them were laughing.

“You really are that guy huh…”
“Yeah.”

The atmosphere here felt the same as the days when two boys from the applied school complained about too much homework and stayed up late in the self-study room at the juvenile dormitory.