A tense atmosphere went back and forth between them, and some time afterward, Serpina broke the silence.
“So, should I treat you as a completely different entity from Zich Brave?”
“Yes, that’s all I want right now.”
“You speak as if you might want more from me later on.”
“It’s our first time seeing each other. Who can guess the future? Furthermore, the fact that you appeared here right now indicates that there’s a high possibility that we are going to be involved somehow. We should try to get as much as we can from our interaction with you if possible.”
“…You really are different from Zich Brave. At least that guy was noble and not so sleazy like you.”
“Thank you for the compliment.” To Zich, who didn’t feel a hint of shame from a word like ‘sleazy,’ what Serpina said was nothing but a compliment, especially if that characteristic differentiated him from Zich Brave even more. Serpina looked at Zich disapprovingly and turned to Lyla.
“Although you aren’t me, it’s very unpleasant to see you since you at least share the same physical body as me. Shouldn’t you raise your standards for men? Even if you lost your pride as a member of Clowon’s royalty and went even further to deny your bloodline to live as a commoner, you could rule this world with just your physical abilities. I know this better than anyone as the owner of the original body. If you wish, you could have people much better than this lowly man around you. You don’t lack anything in terms of skills or beauty, so how did you end up with such a rogue like him?”
Lyla snorted. “Do I really need to explain? I’m sure you won’t be able to comprehend it no matter what I say.”
“Yes, I suppose there’s no point in warning someone who can’t even see that the path she is walking on is a groundless swamp.” Serpina nodded like she understood everything.
After looking at Serpina for a bit, Zich suddenly stretched his hand out to Lyla and asked, “Do you still need to hold onto Windur?”
“Hm, I’m not sure. I haven’t let go of it since I called her.”
“Then we can test it now.” Zich took back Windur like he didn’t care whether or not Serpina disappeared. Fortunately or unfortunately, Serpina didn’t disappear. Lines formed on her delicate forehead because they were ignoring her. Yet, Zich didn’t care about that and thought that the work he was going to do now was more important.
“How did you do that?”
“What?”
“You know, summon the princess.”
Lyla was a bit taken aback by Zich’s abrupt question, but she answered, “When the World Tree’s mana enters the crystal, you can put Windur’s mana inside it and create a resonance.”
“That’s easy. How did you learn about it?”
“Windur told me.”
This sword pretended to feign ignorance in front of Zich and only told Lyla later on.
“Tch, tch. A master who gets ignored by his own sword. Your title as the Demon Lord of Strength is laughable,” Serpina snickered. Zich gripped Windur tightly and barely managed to suppress his strength. He thought he would move on to his next course of action since he heard the method he wanted to know from Lyla.
“Are you perhaps planning to call forth Zich Brave?” Lyla knew exactly what he was doing.
“I have to crack that guy’s head as I promised.” Zich planned to never forgive a guy who dared to break a promise with him and run away. Of course, although Zich Brave did not leave of his own will because of some exterior interruption at that time, Zich had no room for understanding. After Zich heard that Serpina appeared after Lyla created a resonance with Windur, Zich thought, ‘I’m sure Zich Brave will pop out if I do the same thing.’ Zich waited eagerly for the next time to expel mana. Yet, Serpina’s next words crushed Zich’s expectations.
“Even if you create a resonance, Zich Brave won’t come out.”
“…What?” Unfitting of his character, a look of despair quickly colored his face, and he looked like a child whose candy had been stolen from him. Zich’s change in expression also shocked Serpina, and her ice-cold face also shifted slightly. Yet, there was no future where she gave her saving graces to Zich.
“It’s true I came out because I am related to this woman, but it’s also because of the World Tree’s will. The one who is needed in this situation isn’t Zich Brave, but me. So, even if you create a resonance right now, the World Tree—specifically, your sword won’t call Zich Brave.” Zich looked down at Windur. Like usual, Windur was feigning ignorance.
“Should I just throw this thing away? It might melt if I throw it in a volcano,” Zich muttered.
“You know that would be a useless thing to do. If that sword got damaged by just that, it wouldn’t be a sword that symbolizes the Clowon emperor’s authority.”
Zich’s hope crumbled in front of this cruel truth. To think that the great Demon Lord of Strength would be pushed so far, Lyla was impressed with Windur’s abilities. However, she was mostly baffled by the situation.
“This damn sword, seriously,” Zich grumbled and threw Windur to the ground. Yet, this behavior was childish and meaningless; no one—not even Zich, thought that he would be able to really throw Windur away. It was just a short-lived grievance.
“Okay, so did you say that you are necessary for this situation?” Zich asked Serpina while leaving Windur rolling on the ground.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Why do I have to explain?” Her attitude was completely contrary to the way she had spoken until now; it was as if she was playing with him or mocking him. Yet, Zich didn’t get angry.
“Is the World Tree’s intention completely different from yours?”
“You’re at least quick-witted.” Serpina made a faint smile. However, anyone could see that she was looking down on him, so it was unpleasant for the receiver.
Despite being brought out by the World’s Tree, she refused to collaborate to free the World Tree. However, if Zich thought about it, her actions made sense.
‘She’s part of a country that used the World Tree however they wanted in the first place.’ Moreover, she was the daughter of the emperor who made the Brushel System and acted as the core of the system. It was naïve to think that a person like that would make an effort to free the World Tree with pure intentions.
‘However, there’s no way that the World Tree doesn’t know that.’ Then, why did the World Tree call forth Serpina? There was only one thing he could think of—‘It’s probably because of her ability.’ There was something that only Serpina Arnoux Boyne Slesvita Wipsin Clowon could do.
Lyla also had the same thought. She said to Zich, “I think that it probably has something to do with this ruin’s suppressor.”
“As expected. There’s no one more suitable for that job than that person over there. This is outside of Zich Brave’s capabilities in the first place.” However, the problem was that the person who could do the job had no intentions of collaborating.
Zich asked, “I guess we’re the ones who have to persuade her, right?”
“Yeah, that’s probably the case.”
“It seems like you’ve already tried several times. How did it go?”
“Well, you know how they say you become more stubborn as you age? Then, how stubborn do you think this princess is?”
This meant that her stubbornness had been built over thousands of years. Only outcomes that he couldn’t imagine and didn’t want to imagine popped up in his head. If he just acted according to his will, he wanted to immediately raise a white flag and throw it on her pretty face and tell her to do whatever the hell she wanted with ninety percent of swear words mixed in. However, no matter how bold Zich usually acted, he couldn’t do this.
“Why don’t we sit first?” Since it was clear that their conversation wouldn’t end in just a couple of hours, Zich decided to sit. He took out a couple of chairs; the chairs were normal, wooden chairs. Surprisingly, Serpina didn’t say much and slowly sat on the chair without complaining.
Zich asked straightforwardly, “Do you have any intentions to collaborate with us?”
“It’s not that I don’t, but to be more exact, you two will be collaborating with my plan.”
“Even though it’s obvious what you want us to collaborate for? Let me ask to make sure. What’s your goal?”
“The restoration of Clowon.”
Lyla let out a sigh next to Zich. Judging by her fatigued expression, it was clear how much she struggled to persuade Serpina and failed.
“So, do you want to turn back time before Clowon collapsed?”
“If we can, that’s the best option.”
“No, that’s unnegotiable.”
Serpina surprisingly seemed unfazed by Zich’s firm refusal. It seemed as if she also knew that this was an unrealistic goal.
“Then, why don’t you two directly restore Clowon?”
“You want us to raise a country?”
“Won’t it be possible with you two?” In matters of probability, it was within their limits; Zich and Lyla were capable of raising a country. However, it was not a proposal that piqued Zich’s interest. “Even if we raise a country and name it Clowon, it won’t be like the real Clowon in the first place.”
Clowon was an empire from so long ago that only elves remembered it, and it was a completely forgotten country to humans. Even if they raised a country right now, it wouldn’t be any different from raising a country with just the same name as Clowon. However, Zich soon corrected his thoughts.
An empire was ruled by an emperor and its reign was based on the emperor’s lineage. Thus, an empire could be restored as long as the emperor’s bloodline remained. Not to mention, Clowon’s first emperor’s daughter was sitting next to him right now.
“You seem to have caught on. Yeah, you got it. Even though she has lost her royal pride and rejected her bloodline, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a part of Clowon’s royal bloodline. Moreover, since her father is the Golden Emperor, her lineage is purer than any other emperor.” Serpina said while looking at Lyla.
Lyla slightly flinched. She could not get used to Serpina’s gaze—Serpina looked at her as if she wasn’t a living being, but a tool. Before she met Zich, it was the exact same type of gaze that the robed figures had looked at her with while they were chasing after her.
“It doesn’t matter to me if you directly have a kid with her, or if she bears a child with someone else. The important part is that her child will pass on the Clowon emperor’s bloodline. Then, even though the time, place, and subjects under the rule are completely different, the country will definitely still be Clowon.”
“Is that all you want?”
“No, there’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“It’s the restoration of the Brushel System.”
“Hey, the Brushel System is gone. You must know that too.” Regression was no longer possible; it was a truth that Zich Brave reassured him about.
“Yeah. However, you have the knowledge to restore it. You have sufficient knowledge to resurrect the system,” she said, like a snake tempting a human. “You know how Glen Zenard used that power to his advantage. If you use that knowledge, all that power will be yours. Glen Zenard is someone without talent, but with the power of regression, he became strong enough to even beat you. If he could reach that level, what would happen if someone unbelievably strong like you obtained that power?”