“Ah.”
After the initial wave of confusion, my eyes widened in shock as realization quickly dawned on me.
This…
Turning toward the Saintess, I didn’t know how to react. I finally understood why everyone was looking at her.
It wasn’t just because of her looks, but her status as well.
The moment Amell revealed her title, everything clicked—I knew exactly who she was.
‘But why is she here?’
The world’s hierarchy was structured as follows: Four Empires, Seven Churches, and the Round Table.
These were the most powerful ‘known’ organizations and entities, excluding the Kasha.
More or less independent from the Seven Churches, the Round Table served as the stronghold of the Templars, functioning as an autonomous “holy” army dedicated to supporting the Seven Churches.
The Round Table was further divided into numerous sub-sections, with the highest-ranking member in each sub-section holding a seat at the Round Table.
…And in charge of the Round Table was none other than the Saintess.
Usually indifferent to external affairs, she rarely showed her presence. However, today, it seemed like things were different.
Moving with measured strides, all eyes were focused on her.
Her presence exuded both charm and calmness, yet it carried an undeniable pressure—an aura of tension and quiet authority that pressed upon those around her.
“S-should we greet her?”
“…I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“What should we do?”
The murmurs and whispers of the crowd never ceased as all eyes continued to linger over the Saintess.
‘This is crazy.’
Similarly unable to take my eyes away from her, I took a small, shallow breath to calm myself down.
Her presence didn’t signify anything good.
At least, to me.
With the Round Table standing as the unwavering pillar of the Seven Churches, it only took a moment of thought to grasp the reason behind her presence.
‘She’s here to find a way to solve the situation involving the Church of Oracleus.’
My heart tightened at the thought.
That was the last thing that I wanted to happen. I had been trying to rack my brain over the past several days to find a way to make sure they wouldn’t get out, and yet, the situation got all the more troublesome.
“Everyone.”
Lost in my thoughts, I was only pulled back to reality by a crisp, melodious voice that resonated through the hall, each word ringing clear and harmonious, like the notes of a finely tuned instrument.
Raising my head, my eyes focused on the Saintess, a soft smile marring her features.
“…Please, do not mind my presence. I am merely here as an observer, to witness the proceedings of the Congress and clear up any misunderstandings. Proceed to the main hall as usual, and act as if I am not here.”
Her voice was charming, almost magnetic, and a few of the people nodded along the way.
Only a few furrowed their brows, sensing the subtle trace of mana woven into her voice, prompting several to follow along with her voice.
She wasn’t even trying to hide it as she smiled.
‘Did she do that on purpose, or…?’
I licked my lips and watched as she bowed her head slightly before moving towards the inner part of the palace, towards where the Congress was being held.
‘…She’s dangerous.’
How strong exactly was she?
It was only after her back fully faded that the noise returned to the hall, erupting all at once.
“Did you see that?”
“The Saintess is here…!? This is big!”
“Hurry! Contact the Guild, tell them to bring the most expensive item that we have in our storage! We need to find a way to get on her good graces!”
“That’s the Saintess!”
The hall descended into chaos. Pandemonium erupted as the major powers scrambled to contact their estates and guilds, each desperately seeking ways to gain her favor.
Meanwhile, reporters were in a frenzy, scribbling furiously on their notepads, writing as fast as they could so that they could get the news out fast.
In general, it was a mess.
‘Should I also try to curry favour with her?’
The thought did cross my mind for a moment, but then I shook my head. It sounded really troublesome, and considering the current position of our Estate, I didn’t think she’d be interested.
In front of her, the Evenus Household was merely an ant.
And it wasn’t like I was all too keen on getting to know here. I didn’t particularly have the greatest of impressions of those lunatics from the seven churches.
“Well…”
I slowly turned my head toward the still stunned Amell and snapped my fingers in front of his face.
Snap!
“Uh!?”
Snapping out of it, Amell’s eyes shook as he looked at me. I could see his mouth opening and closing as he tried to mumble something.
I just waved my hand at him.
“Just go.”
This was big news for any major power. I could see why he was so flustered.
“Yes!”
He didn’t even hesitate to leave as he turned around and dashed towards the inner parts of the palace.
Staring at his back, I shook my head.
‘That face he made… it was really stupid.’
What traumatizing genes.
“Haa.”
With a sigh, my shoulders slumped, and I slowly made my way toward the inner hall. What should’ve been a simple route turned out to be an irritating one as everyone else started moving in the same direction, constantly blocking my path.
By the time I made it to the Congress area, most seats had been taken.
“Wait, that’s my…”
I could even see that what was supposed to belong to me was taken, with Leon looking around, seemingly trying to find me.
I thought about reaching out to him, but stopped.
‘Actually, this might be for the best.’
Considering what they were about to announce next, I thought that this was perhaps for the best. In fact, this was perfect.
This way, I could make a dip for it in case Leon turned into a tyrant and tried to execute me.
‘Yes, yes, this works.’
I looked around and headed towards the emptier area at the back, where several unfilled seats appeared.
Taking a seat in one of the random chairs, I adjusted my clothes and slouched down, doing my best to blend in and appear as inconspicuous as possible.
Just needed to make sure I could slip out once Leon turned into a tyrant.
With all preparations in place, I waited for the dreaded Congress to begin, when suddenly, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
“Excuse me?”
When I looked up, a plain girl with soft brown hair and blue eyes stood before me, freckles dotting her nose. Her voice was quiet, and she seemed rather timid as she gazed at me.
She wore a simple uniform, and as she leaned forward, her identity card hung over my vision.
[Joanna Smith – Reporter]
A reporter?
I moved a little back and allowed her to pass.
“Thank you.”
Sitting down next to me, she thanked me. Shortly after that, she took out a notepad and started jotting down some notes.
I thought she’d leave me alone after that, but…
“What is your current opinion on the Saintess being here?”
“Hm?”
Looking at her, her eyes weren’t even directed my way as she firmly scribbled something on her notepad.
I cocked my head in confusion.
“Are you asking me?”
“…Ah, yes.”
Finally looking at me, she smiled.
“You’re quite a renowned figure yourself. Do you have any opinion on her presence?”
“That…”
What was up with this sudden, random interview?
Although I was confused, I nonetheless answered.
“It’s… not like it doesn’t make sense.”
“Oh?”
The scribbling sound intensified.
“Are you saying that you were aware of the fact that she was coming?”
“No, I wasn’t aware.”
“Then…?”
“Considering what happened a few days ago with the Church of Oracleus, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that someone from the Round Table was going to come to help them get out of the situation.”
“Haha, if you put it that way, it does indeed seem quite obvious.”
Laughing, the reporter put her pen down and finally looked at me. With a mischievous expression, she looked at the Saintess sitting at the very front.
“She’s quite beautiful, isn’t she?”
“I guess…?”
It’d be a lie if I said she wasn’t. However, staring at her, I didn’t feel any sort of attraction. She seemed more like a good painting to admire. Nothing that really evoked anything.
“From what I’ve heard, she has many suitors. Wouldn’t someone like you also like her?”
“Ah?”
I turned to look at the reporter next to me with a weird look.
“Why would I like her?”
“…You don’t?”
Surprise marred the reporter’s face as I looked at her strangely. She probably didn’t expect me to answer that way, but it wasn’t like I was lying.
“I don’t even know her. What could possibly make me want to be attracted to her?”
“Her looks?”
“I’m not that shallow.”
“…Hmm.”
The reporter’s gaze burned holes in me. Why was she even looking at me like that? Wasn’t what I was saying common sense?
“And what if she asked you to marry her—”
“What?”
I cut her off and frowned.
“What sort of nonsense are you spouting? No, wait, why are you—”
“Thank you all for coming. If you could kindly take a seat, I’d be very grateful.”
A gentle voice cut through my words, and when I turned toward the front, I saw the Emperor of the Verdant Empire. His presence was regal, his mannerisms refined. He stood there, smiling, as all eyes turned toward him.
For the first time in a while, all eyes were no longer on the Saitness.
“I understand why most of you are excited.”
The Emperor slowly turned towards the person in question.
“I, too, am honored by the presence of such esteemed guests,” he said, his voice smooth and confident. “However, there are more pressing matters at hand.”
His entire demenour shifted, slowly turning more regal and imposing.
I could see right then and there that he wasn’t going to waste any time with any pleasantries, and my heart sank.
‘Drag it. Drag the damn thing!’
“While the Aetheria and Nurs Ancifa Empire have covered most of the serious topics, leaving me with not much to say, there is indeed something extremely important that I have to talk about.”
The Emperor’s gaze moved across each seat, slowly settling towards a certain person who tilted his head in confusion.
“…Today, I will be talking about my second son. The heir that I lost many years ago.”
He paused, letting the tension build in as the expressions of many started to change.
“I’ve… finally found him.”