After the meeting, we returned to our accommodation.
In the evening, a banquet with dinner was prepared, so once that was over, the schedule in Earth Hill was over.
I spent time leisurely in the room provided for me since I prevented the outbreak of war and accomplished all goals, so there was no reason to leave right away.
I leaned back on the sofa and stared blankly up at the ceiling, thinking about what I had to do.
The top priority was to find the successor to the Holy Sword in Santea.
This was something that I had to be really careful about. That’s why I didn’t entrust the collection of information to the Shadow either.
Like when I was looking for a mystery, I have to run and find it myself...
The problem was that the location of the successor at the present time could not be accurately specified.
There was a place where she was supposed to be, based on the information from the game.
However, the range was so wide that it would take considerable time and effort to eventually find it.
There are also those things.
In the realm of Santea, I knew the hidden places of two Mysteries.
However, neither of them were abilities that I desperately needed right now.
I had already obtained various mysteries from Calderic and my specs had improved, and I was no longer a sunfish who would die easily.
But of course there’s nothing wrong with getting it.
Absorbing a lot of Mysteries didn’t have any side effects, so it’s better to get the mysteries that were still available.
The full-fledged search for the successor would have to be done after I took care of those two mysteries.
Of course, there was no guarantee that I would get it. For one, those hidden locations were hard to find.
And the meeting of the Lords...
The meeting of the Lords that would happen shortly after could overlap with what I was trying to do and thus becoming a variable.
There were still two commands remaining from the Overlord. I was not in a position where I could refuse it.
I still didn’t know why she asked me to attend this meeting with her, so it was unknown what else she would try to order.
I still have a lot of things to do, so I hoped she wouldn’t bring up something annoying...
“...”
While thinking about this and that, I slightly turned my gaze to one side.
I scratched my head as I felt Asher standing motionless outside the door.
I saw her when I came in earlier. She had an unusual atmosphere since yesterday. Without thinking, it must be because of the existence of the the Spear Saint.
The Spear Saint Cayden was the one who slaughtered Asher’s family, and the emperor and the imperial family was the one behind it.
How would it feel to not be able to do anything even with their tribe’s enemies right in front of them? I couldn’t possibly imagine what that feeling would be like.
In fact, the massacre of the White Moon tribe, ordered by the imperial family of Santea, was not something that was quietly buried with no one noticing.
It was a catastrophe that had already caused outrage within the Empire.
And the person who was pointed out as the culprit was the fifth prince and his aides.
The real mastermind behind the massacre was the emperor, but the one he pushed as the culprit was the fifth prince.
Lagging among his brothers, he was just following his father’s words to be acknowledged. But in the end, his own father threw him under the bus.
Asher was the only survivor of the annihilated White Moon tribe.
This incident that had already been concluded in such a way. Even if a survivor like Asher revealed her identity now, it would not threaten the emperor. So, there’s nothing she could hold on to.
At best, she could at least receive an apology from the imperial family. But who needed something like that?
So, if Asher really wanted revenge, the only way to realize it was to get blood on her own hands.
There would be no proper way for her to avenge her clan’s enemies unless she killed the emperor and the the Spear Saint with her own hands.
But it seemed to me that she hadn’t quite decided yet. She didn’t even have the ability to do that in the first place.
How could she, who was still only level 82, handle the emperor, who was the head of a huge power called Santea, and a level 91 the Spear Saint?
It’s also not a matter I could easily get involved in.
To kill the Emperor and the the Spear Saint.
Obviously, Asher was a precious person to me.
I wasn’t simply saying that because she was an outstanding talent.
I had already been with her for almost a year. We were together most of the time.
It was not simply a question of whether I could solve that problem for her. There was no way she would want that.
No matter how much I thought about it, she wouldn’t want to get revenge on her enemies by asking me to do it for her. For her, there would be no point in doing that.
In the end, the best I could do was just help her grow.
So that when she had decided, she would have the strength to do whatever she wanted.
“...”
To do so, I had to quickly take Asher to that ‘place’.
It was a place where Asher could achieve dramatic growth by exploding her potential, and it was also a place where a being, who could tell her the information about her tribe, was sleeping.
Of course, I already knew that there were no surviving White Moon tribe members other than Asher.
But telling her that directly would only arouse her suspicion, so it’s better for a third party to do it.
Then my trouble deepened.
Should I prioritize finding the mysteries and the successor first, or should I take Asher to that place?
'...Ah, I don’t know.'
I shook my head and laid down on the sofa. Let’s just think about it slowly.
***
“I expected she wouldn’t come, but it’s still a pity. I wanted to introduce the Seventh Lord to the hero.”
The Overlord stirred the teacup and said lamentably.
The emperor who sat across from her watched in silence, then opened his mouth.
“What do you really mean, Overlord?”
“Hmm? What?”
“Helping Earth Hill, I don’t think it’s the Seventh Lord own action.”
“Ah... that? Right? I didn’t know that the Seventh Lord would suddenly come forward like that.”
It was true.
It was a fact that she did not know that there was a connection between the second prince of Earth Hill and the Seventh Lord, so she hardly expected the latter to intervene so actively in the conflict between the two countries.
It didn’t matter to her, that’s why she didn’t interfere.
However, the emperor narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
He opened his mouth again and asked.
“I’m afraid that maybe Calderic’s prestige will fall. It looks like the Overlord is protecting those who broke the rules and even killed another Lord...”
“Ah, thank you for your concern.”
At those words, the corner of the Overlord’s mouth went up.
“By the way, Emperor. If you say such nonsensical things again, do you want me to rip your mouth off?”
The expression of the second princess standing behind the emperor hardened at the Overlord’s sudden abusive words.
The emperor also looked at the Overlord with a weakly stiff face.
“Don’t act like we’re equal. Get the subject, you little rat. You should know that the only thing I respect about Santea is the hero.”
“You’re talking too much...”
For an instant, the terrifying feeling of intimidation enveloped her whole body, causing the princess’ legs to give up and almost sinking to the floor.
The Overlord, who had regained her momentum, smiled and leaned back in her chair.
“I didn’t come here to threaten you. I have a question for you too.”
At her words, the emperor’s complexion hardened.
“Prisoner transport ship, the Fist Saint.”
“...”
“What the hell were you trying to do after catching ‘that’, Emperor? Even hiding it in a convoy and transporting it to a concentration camp?”
The emperor was just silent, not answering.
The Overlord, who drank all the tea, stood up.
“I’m warning you, Emperor. I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but stop doing useless things. If you don’t want to let precious workforce, like the warrior for example, to die.”
The emperor asked her as she headed outside her room.
“What does the Overlord want?”
“...”
“There’s no way you don’t know that the demons’ movements are unusual. If Santea collapses, it’s Calderic’s turn right after. Why are you showing such an ambiguous attitude towards Santea?”
The Overlord only looked back at the emperor and grinned.
***
Evening came, and the banquet began.
There were many people who attended besides those who directly took part in the meeting, so it filled the banquet hall with many people.
The royal family gathered in a corner and chatted about the outcome of the meeting.
Asher, who followed the Overlord and the Seventh Lord to the banquet hall, tried hard not to turn her attention to one side of the banquet hall.
It was because the emperor and the the Spear Saint, who accompanied him, were also seated there.
“...”
She could feel the eyes of the Seventh Lord staring at her.
Asher struggled to control her expression, thinking that she should not get distracted.
“Asher, go back to your room and rest.”
At the words of the Seventh Lord, she shook her head. The other must have noticed her current state.
“No. It’s fine.”
She was an escort knight, so it’s not right to go back alone and rest first.
But this time, the Seventh Lord seemed to be quite determined to get her out of the banquet.
“Then go out to the terrace and get some fresh air.”
Asher hesitated, bowed her head, and moved her steps to the terrace.
She felt the heat in her head subside a little as she went outside and caught the cool breeze.
“...”
Asher looked up at the night sky and recalled the memories she had buried deep within.
The enemy who annihilated her tribe—Santea and the the Spear Saint.
Asher couldn’t keep her composure at the sight of the Emperor and the the Spear Saint sitting calmly in the banquet hall just inside.
She lowered her head, feeling sorry for herself, thinking that she wasn’t really able to do anything she should.
No revenge, no tribe member found. Even though 10 years had passed since that terrible day, she still hadn’t been able to do anything properly.
...In fact, deep inside her heart, she might have already known. That there was no surviving tribe members anywhere.
She was just simply denying reality.
Was that why she couldn’t even decide to get revenge and was wasting her time pathetically?
Even with the enemy right in front of her eyes, she couldn’t even pull out her sword... How could she have the courage to look at her dead family members with the way she was now?
Asher closed her eyes and breathed, controlling her mind.
It was something she was used to. Until a few years ago, these thoughts surfacing was a daily and common occurrence.
After breathing for a few minutes and regaining some composure, Asher turned around to enter her banquet hall again.
It was then.
“...!”
A man walked into the terrace.
The Spear Saint Cayden.
He looked up at the sky as he stood on the opposite railing after glancing at Asher.
Asher’s heart skipped a beat.
She thought, even if she made a fuss here, even if she tried to spew murderous intentions at him, it means nothing, and it would only harm Ron...
It was when she tried to move her steps, suppressing her boiling anger with superhuman patience...
“I’ve been thinking since yesterday, but I finally remembered.”
His mouth suddenly opened and stopped Asher.
She slowly turned her head and looked at him with cold eyes.
“Ten years ago, the Great Mountains of Alten. Were you the only one from the White Moon tribe that I failed to kill?”
