Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 267: Victor (2)

Holy Church State Lucerne.

The small nation located on the southeastern peninsula of the continent was governed by the Holy Emperor, known as the representative of God, and about a dozen cardinals.

At first glance, this didn’t seem different from other monarchies, but what made them special was the method of appointing the Holy Emperor.

“Did they say that the current Holy Emperor can appoint the Holy Emperor a hundred years from now?”

In a waiting room prepared in one corner of the banquet hall, Victor was reviewing the report left by the chief attendant.

Although this expedition had many difficulties, a hastily held celebratory banquet was arranged to quell the circulating rumors.

Considering Lucerne was the empire’s closest ally, they could easily guess the empire’s situation, yet attending such a formal, almost unnecessary, event made things uncomfortable in many ways.

“Should I just ask directly?”

The train of thought was interrupted halfway.

-Your Majesty. May I come in?

The voice from beyond the door was Louise’s. After tidying her attire, Victor personally opened the door to greet her.

Louise stood in front of the door, dressed in a gown.

The dress, adorned modestly with various embroideries, matched her bright pink hair. It wasn’t overly extravagant, yet it subtly exuded a noble grace, making even Victor, as a fellow woman, feel as though a halo surrounded her.

“With this…”

Understanding that the imperial family was still thriving and that the expedition was successfully carried out, Victor nodded briefly and gently stroked Louise’s cheek.

“It suits you well.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Louise said with a bright smile.

Even though it was nothing more than a dry compliment without a kiss, Louise was satisfied with it. Victor was not one to offer empty praise, and Louise knew all too well what kind of event they were attending today.

‘…To think I would seek praise in this situation, I must be truly naive.’

The disappearance that had occurred due to her unilateral actions could have been a catastrophic event that would have overturned the empire and the imperial family.

No matter how unavoidable the force of the transcendental existence of the Apostle was, a mistake was still a mistake.

Though she had anticipated being confined to the harem, Victor neither reproached Louise nor scolded her. Instead, he inquired if she was hurt anywhere.

You wouldn’t find such a considerate husband in the entire empire. As a fellow human being, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect.

Thus, the resolve Louise needed to harbor was not one of regret.

‘I must be of help.’

Louise gently took Victor’s hand.

“It’s time, Your Majesty. We should go. There are many guests outside waiting to see you.”

The atmosphere in the banquet hall was ripe.

“I never imagined we would meet in a place like this.”

Shiron looked at the man with a gaze full of surprise.

The Holy Emperor of Lucerne. [Diego Rio Cali]

Pointed ears. Flowing blonde hair. Just by these features alone, one could tell that the man was not an ordinary human. And indeed, the man was originally an elf who had settled in the Great Forest.

“Haha. Isn’t it all by the Lord’s guidance? So please, feel free to stay as you are.”

The Holy Emperor spoke respectfully to Shiron, who was much younger. For reference, he still didn’t know that Shiron was a hero.

One might think of him as a humble person who didn’t care about authority, but that wasn’t the case. The Holy Emperor, Diego Rio Cali, only showed special treatment to Prient, the legitimate successor of the hero.

Thanks to this, Shiron had obtained Lucerne’s treasure, the [Shield of Hesed], but the human interaction was still uncomfortable.

Prient was not a descendant of Kyrie, and Shiron knew that Diego had long thirsted for the presence of a hero, which made things even more awkward.

“What brings you here?”

“I wanted to take a little trip. The Emperor was kind enough to arrange such a splendid event, so I thought I would take the opportunity to attend.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. By the way, it has been nearly ten years since Shiron left Lucerne.”

“Has it already been that long…”

“I was quite disappointed that I didn’t hear from you at all during that time.”

The green eyes hidden behind half-closed lids turned toward Shiron. Shiron averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact.

“I’ve been too busy fulfilling my family’s duties to have a moment to breathe…”

“Is that so? Yet, you still found the time to attend an event like this.”

“…How can a person live through work alone? Sometimes, one needs a day to oil the gears so that the cogs can turn properly.”

“Haha. Sir Shiron, you always have a delightful way of putting things.”

Diego laughed brightly and nodded. Thanks to his elven nature, he might appear as an innocent person, but Shiron knew that behind that facade lay a cunning mind.

Perhaps Diego was expressing his dissatisfaction with Shiron.

After laughing heartily, Diego looked down at Shiron’s leg.

“It’s a relief that your leg is still intact.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your leg. When I heard it had been severed by a cardinal, I was so shocked. But I knew with your divine protection, it would be fine.”

“…Was it the cardinal who performed the preservation treatment on my leg?”

“Yes. It was Cardinal Pardi Romano.”

Although Shiron hadn’t asked, the Holy Emperor willingly disclosed the cardinal’s identity. Shiron rubbed his face with a dry hand, trying to hide his curiosity.

“I hadn’t heard that Cardinal Pardi was part of the expedition, but given his skills, I suspected as much.”

“He was on his way back from an inspection of the Holy Land. I thought about greeting him, but as the situation was tense, I returned to Lucerne instead.”

So that’s how it was. Shiron thought it had been a good decision to attend the banquet.

[…Though he smiles on the outside, there’s a negative emotion inside?]

Being able to directly meet and learn various truths was worth it.

“I’ll have to thank him later.”

“Yes, please do visit Lucerne next time.”

It was obvious that this was more of a command than a request.

Just then, as they were conversing, someone who seemed to have come from Lucerne whispered something. Diego looked around before speaking again.

“Oh my, it seems I’ve kept you too long. Please, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“Yes, Your Eminence, as well.”

Shiron bowed slightly toward the departing Diego.

[Hero, that elf seems suspicious.]

‘He’s always been like that.’

[Really?]

‘Yeah, as long as he’s not hostile… it’s okay for now.’

As long as the purpose of eradicating evil in the world remained, Lucerne and Shiron’s interests were aligned.

That’s likely why the Holy Emperor didn’t bring up the “report” from Cardinal Pardi, despite knowing about it.

‘I never imagined he’d go so far as to make a contract with the devil.’

Shiron watched for a moment as the Holy Emperor disappeared among the crowd. He sensed the presence of two people approaching him.

“Shiron?”

It was Victor. It wasn’t a grand event, so there was no fanfare, and Shiron hadn’t noticed his entrance.

“What brings you here? I thought you didn’t like such gatherings?”

Without a word, Shiron pointed in a direction with his finger. There, a seat was prepared where one could watch the performance by the orchestra, and Glen and Lucia were dozing off.

“It’s been a while, Sir Shiron.”

Another voice called out. It was Louise, standing beside Victor, who greeted him politely.

“It’s been a while, Princess Louise. I’m glad to see you are well.”

“…Your way of speaking has changed?”

Louise widened her eyes in surprise.

Was it the clothes that made the man? Shiron, whom she met at the banquet, looked like an entirely different person from when he was in the labyrinth.

“Given the nature of the event, how could I speak carelessly to a friend’s wife?”

His tone was refined, and the slight curve of his eyes made her heart skip a beat.

‘How could even his eye smile be so sexy…’

But it wasn’t Louise whose heart skipped a beat.

‘Shiron. You never showed me that face, but you showed it to Louise…’

The thought of being jealous of his wife was laughable, but Victor barely managed to hide her jealousy.

‘I shouldn’t be feeling like this.’

Despite feeling sorry for the woman who had only looked at her her entire life, Victor’s heart wavered, leading to self-loathing thoughts.

Fortunately, Victor wasn’t the only one feeling uneasy.

A moral flaw was also imprinting itself in real-time on Louise.

‘Your Majesty?’

Louise glanced at Victor with drowsy eyes.

The pounding of Victor’s pulse flowed into Louise’s hand as she held hers. Louise sighed as she felt the quickening of his heartbeats when he looked at Shiron.

‘When you held my hand, you were calm. Is His Majesty truly interested in men?’

“Why are you sighing? Is it that you don’t like my presence here?”

“Oh, no. I just got a bit hot-headed for a moment.”

Louise shook her head at the playful question.

She felt ridiculous being caught up in such childish feelings. What kind of feelings was she harboring toward the savior of her life that led to this self-hatred?

‘His Majesty received immeasurable grace from Sir Shiron. Ever since childhood, always. So, feeling something beyond mere friendship… is unavoidable, I suppose.’

Always a burdened wife and a friend who always extended a helping hand.

It was only natural that being with the latter would be more enjoyable.

Suppressing a sigh, Louise forced a smile.