Organization (1)

Eventually, after much struggle, I was able to get the three women to sit at the table.

“……”

“……”

“What, nothing to eat?”

The atmosphere is terrible, but what can you do.

And Ilina Crowley didn’t even need to be sitting here. her very presence was the problem to begin with.

Both Línea and Eve, who’d been eyeing each other warily, were now occasionally glancing at Ilina Crowley as well.

Yet despite all this, Ilina Crowley was obliviously playing with her hair, which had turned red from Phoenix’s feather, examining it with fascination.

It’s truly astonishing how brazenly shameless a person can be.

“Since we’re already here, how about introducing ourselves?”

But, even so, I can’t chase her away because of that very nonchalance.

I’m being careful even about breathing right now, but she has none of that concern.

It’s someone else’s problem to her. Well, I suppose it’s not entirely someone else’s problem since she’s sitting here, but still.

“I’m Ilina Crowley. Princess of Arcanum.”

Such passive-aggressive behavior isn’t good.

She’s subtly revealing her status and putting pressure on the other two, isn’t she?

Rarely have I seen someone so brazenly shameless.

“…Right. I forgot introductions should come first.”

Could it be that seeing Ilina Crowley’s behavior helped her become calm by contrast?

Eve bowed her head apologetically as she suppressed her anger.

“I’m Eve. As you can see… I’m an angel.”

With those words, Eve spread her wings wide. The wings that were once evidence of being an apostle now seemed like a part of her physical form.

I discovered something unexpected.

I had once turned children who had become half-demons into angels, but the current Eve could be considered the purest angel since she was born from a soul rather than a human body.

“But that’s not what’s important now, is it? I’m sure everyone here is curious about the relationship between ‘my’ Cielo and me.”

“No, if that’s not important, then what is, Eve? Don’t be like that, please give a more detailed explanation…”

“That can wait until later.”

Really? You’re going to put off such important information? Do you think people will accept that?

“Right. It’s not important. Definitely not something to discuss right now.”

“We should get rid of these vixens first.”

Combining fire and fox into one attack like that—quite impressive.

“Fine. I’ll tell you. I am Cielo’s benefactor and savior, the one who gave ‘everything’ to Cielo when he had lost it all, including his name.”

Incredible self-praise.

Moreover, she’s describing me almost as if I were her possession, but strangely, it’s not entirely wrong, which is rather remarkable.

“Understand? Unfortunately, it seems there’s no room for Línea to squeeze in between me and Cielo.”

“…Doesn’t that make you more like a mother?”

“What?”

“Haha, I mean, at that level, aren’t you more like a parent than a lover?”

Línea’s counterattack was fierce. She was tapping her lips with a sly expression, and I could tell what her trump card would be.

“Have you ever done anything romantic? I get hugged every morning, and we’ve even kissed. Lost told me it was his first kiss. I should thank you. Thank you for raising your son so well.”

“It’s quite vulgar to only find connection in physical relationships.”

“What?”

“Did you know that Cielo and I are literally connected by our souls? Our platonic love never needed physical contact. But I suppose that gave too much room for misinterpretation. My apologies.”

A cold wind blows between Línea and Eve. That’s strange.

The barrier is definitely up properly, so why is this chill coming in?

Should I go fix the barrier?

I glanced at the last contender with cold sweat.

Or should I say the first contender? How is the person who created this miserable situation doing right now?

“Oh, this is so cool.”

She’s just staring at her own eyes in the mirror, constantly expressing admiration.

She’s really draining every last bit of my patience.

“So, is everyone done with introductions? Can we get to the main point now?”

“…Let’s do that.”

“…Yes.”

Línea and Eve reluctantly nodded while glaring at each other.

They’re no longer directing their gazes at Ilina Crowley.

Seems they’ve excluded her from their list of enemies.

That makes sense. At least both of them are women I’ve declared my love for.

Ilina Crowley, whom I’ve already rejected once and am still trying to fend off, is irrelevant.

“Then I’ll just state my conclusion. I’m not giving up. What about you two? Will one of you quietly step aside if I choose the other? I don’t mind polygamy anyway.”

“……”

“……”

“Why are you looking at me like that? If it bothers you, then quit. Even if one of you drops out, this guy still has two women left. From what I can tell, he doesn’t seem like the type to kick any of you out, so why take the difficult path?”

Have you ever seen such a madwoman in this world?

“Right? If anyone doesn’t like the current situation, they can just break up. Let’s be honest, it’s pretty trashy. I was after another woman’s man from the start, so I don’t even care about this situation.”

Ilina Crowley’s radical declaration froze the other two.

I know I shouldn’t say this, but it’s really impressive.

She ended the war in one stroke.

I could fall for her.

“Rather than trying to set me up as the one to be eliminated, why not put effort into making him love you more? That’s what I’m going to do. You two can keep fighting if you can’t accept that.”

Ilina Crowley said this as she rose from her seat, then came behind me and embraced me.

“How about a generous woman like me?”

“…Honestly, I shouldn’t say this, but you’re truly brilliant.”

“Feeling like falling for me?”

“A little bit.”

“See that, ladies? Thanks to you, I’ve moved to the front of the pack.”

Normally, I would have told her not to be so clingy, but at least one problem has been resolved thanks to Ilina Crowley.

“……”

“……”

Línea was staring at Ilina Crowley with eyes so cold it was hard to believe she was a doctor.

Eve was looking at Ilina Crowley with such a demonic expression it was difficult to imagine her as the Saintess.

And Ilina Crowley, who had brought the situation to this point, was still smiling, oblivious to the gravity of the situation.

Well, thanks to her, at least the target of their animosity has changed.

*     *      *

Thanks to Ilina Crowley’s extreme solution, the situation reached a temporary truce.

I ended up looking like I was dating all three of them simultaneously rather than choosing one, but that should be fine for now.

I’m realizing it now, but the one who gained the most from this meeting might actually be Ilina Crowley.

I shudder at the belated realization of the 7th circle grand mage’s scheming.

“Oh Jupiter. It seems I am indeed your worshipper after all. I never intended it that way, but it seems destiny has its ways.”

There must be something to this unconscious behavior.

Or perhaps it’s because I’m the Son of Man?

Humans are animals after all. And for animals, reproduction is the purpose of life.

In a sense, I’m being quintessentially human.

“…Well, that’s enough self-justification for now.”

“You were always pathetic, but today you’re especially pathetic, Lost.”

“I don’t want to hear that from a coward who fled to the second floor.”

“There’s nothing uglier than getting involved in a lovers’ quarrel. I believe I maintained my boundaries quite well.”

“Your mouth runs as smoothly as ever.”

If the body is good, the brain must be stupid—is that it, you damn orc?

“Now then, let me introduce you. This is the Saintess of Heaven, who was kept highly classified even within the Pantheon Temple.”

“And I share a very deep relationship with Cielo.”

I’ve presented Eve’s identity as a secret weapon of the Pantheon Temple.

I could tell Línea, Titan, and Claire the truth, but it would be troublesome to tell the others, so I won’t bother.

Even so, Hecate and Eremus seem to have picked up on something.

-Nice to meet you, junior. Do you know me? Of course you must! You’ve received tremendous help from me, though I might not remember it, but surely you do? Right?

“Yes, y-yes…”

Hecate’s tremendous self-love and…

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, good to see you, Eremus.”

Eremus greeting her with just one eye slightly open while still lying down.

Judging by those two’s reactions, no further explanation seems necessary.

“Zzik?”

“You’re saying your race is angels? Then it makes sense to keep it secret from people.”

The only ones who don’t know are <Wind’s Tomb> and Ilina Crowley, who’s subtly removed her witch’s hat and is showing off her newly red-dyed hair.

I considered giving Claire a hint, but it’s probably better to leave this matter alone.

If I revealed that I had regressed, that bratty kid would inevitably become even more arrogant.

After all, I was Claire’s successor.

Back then, Claire was a cold, aloof girl who emanated an icy aura, but now she’s turned into a delinquent teenager chewing on beef jerky.

“Nice to meet you…Claire. I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, likewise. So you’re Lost’s first love? Unnie is going to have a tough time.”

“Ah… y-yes…”

I wonder how Eve perceives the current state of the paladin who once risked her life for her?

Does she feel like her memories have been trampled on?

It’s unfortunate.

Of course, it’s not my fault. I clearly put effort into character education, but this is how she turned out. What could I have done?

Her true nature must have been like this all along.

“Ahem! Introductions are good, but we have more pressing matters at hand.”

“Getting out of Skadi?”

“No.”

“Then we’re not leaving?”

“…We might need to stay a bit longer.”

I’d like to leave right away, but we need to be cautious.

“War is likely to break out soon. So we need to move as quietly as possible.”

Information about our journey to Skadi has spread quite widely.

After all, we rented an entire arena just to persuade Ilina Crowley.

If anyone investigated the reason, they could easily figure out our destination.

“Normally, we’d go to the entrance of Skadi and teleport back…”

“Is that necessary? We could just open a teleport gate from here.”

“…If that had been possible, wouldn’t we have moved inward from the beginning?”

Skadi’s cold affects both time and space by its very nature.

While our current location might not be affected by time disruption, space itself is likely frozen.

Simply put, even with my barrier up, the path connected through teleportation would freeze.

It became impossible from the moment mana started freezing.

“That’s old news. I’m different now than before.”

“Even ‘before’ was less than two weeks ago.”

“No, I’ve clearly changed! Look at this passionate red color. I’ve become much stronger.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.”

“…Then let’s hold off until you’re certain.”

Having absorbed Phoenix’s feather, I can’t say it’s impossible, but there’s no certainty yet.

We should observe her magic and test it for at least 2-3 days. If successful, it would be a great help.

“Now then, since it’s already night, let’s sleep and I’ll just outline our future plans. First, let’s establish our top priority.”

If war has broken out, the demon forces have already started moving.

The capital must be in chaos, and the nobles under Wallace Hope’s influence and those who weren’t must be at each other’s throats by now.

Revealing his true identity alone would cause tremendous confusion.

It might sound like Cotinus did something unnecessary, but if you consider what would have happened had this occurred much later, you can see that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

The empire was already in a chaotic situation, nearly split in half.

Edge Forys and Wallace Hope.

Wasn’t the imperial power already largely divided into two factions due to these two’s political maneuvers?

Over time, even the neutral factions would have been fully absorbed, which might have literally split the empire in half.

“So, where should we go first?”

“Me! Let me guess!”

Línea raises her hand like a child. Eve looks frustrated watching Línea’s behavior.

“There’s no prize for guessing correctly, so don’t bother competing.”

“Not even a kiss?”

“No.”

“Tch.”

Since Eve’s arrival, Línea’s physical advances have become more blatant.

In the past, she was shy even when kissing, but now she’s like a predator eyeing its prey.

Shouldn’t kisses happen in a romantic atmosphere?

“Anyway, since you raised your hand, go ahead. Where should we go?”

Línea is quite perceptive.

Unlike Ilina Crowley, she’s quite knowledgeable about imperial politics, so she probably knows the most dangerous place right now.

“Duke Forys’s domain, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Wallace Hope. No, it would be more accurate to call him Belial now.

Belial’s forces are likely already moving towards the heart of the empire.

It’s undeniably a dangerous situation. A duke responsible for guarding the border has turned his spear inward.

The capital, Coinur, seems most obviously in danger right now.

But looking deeper into the matter changes the story.

“The engagement between Siris Forys and Another Hope. If war breaks out while Lady Siris is in the Hope duchy…”

If that happens, Edge Forys, with his fiery temper, won’t sit quietly in his domain.

Being deceived and having his family taken hostage—of course, he wouldn’t submit to Wallace Hope.

“Duke Forys’s domain might be the first to fall in the empire. If that happens, not only will our side’s morale plummet, but the emperor will be the only one left to maintain order. Just one person to manage that vast empire.”

Or he might rush into Hope territory, challenge Belial, and get himself killed.

It’s truly a foolish thought, but not entirely implausible.

He doesn’t understand how powerful demons are, and…

“If Duke Forys crashes into Hope’s domain, the empire will be in shambles.”

He’s a grand mage capable of single-handedly destroying an entire domain.