Chapter 41
The public meeting is an event where survivors come together and make decisions through a collective discussion. If all survivors are present, it’s a “grand meeting,” and if only a few attend, it’s a “regular public meeting.”
Public executions are also a result of this meeting.
“Let’s consolidate the questions and cooperate. It seems a lot of people have gathered. Some may be missing, but it looks like most of the people who were in the banquet hall have come down. Does anyone have any objections to holding the grand meeting?”
The crown prince is the next emperor of the empire. He holds the highest position in this place, a symbolic figure.
The crown prince spoke with confidence, as if declaring to everyone. I knew that he could act this way because he was wearing a meticulously trained mask, but those who didn’t know him seemed to trust him due to his bold demeanor.
“None.”
“I’ll participate in the meeting.”
“We have no objections either.”
Of course, not everyone was happy about it. Some noble figures, a few commoners, and the villainous Evelyn and her group, who had arrived later, seemed dissatisfied.
Evelyn, in particular, was glaring at the crown prince fiercely.
“Was the relationship between Evelyn and the crown prince always this bad in the game? It felt more indifferent before. Maybe it’s because we’re in hard mode?”
However, since most people had already agreed to cooperate, voicing opposition would only breed hostility.
“I’m glad everyone agrees.”
The crown prince smiled.
In some ways, he was a skilled politician, while in other ways, he was a master of crafty tactics.
“Now, let’s select one representative from each group. They will be the ones to deliver messages. First, let’s activate the mirror. By the way, the mirror can only be used when everyone here is in agreement, so just turning it on isn’t an issue. Sian, could you infuse magic into it?”
“Yes.”
Sian, dressed in a mage’s robe, stepped forward and solemnly called the spirit’s name.
“Carpa Seinsebellen.”
A high-ranking spirit appeared, bringing winter into the hallway. Snow swirled in the air, and clear white ice grew, shaking with the birch trees. People who had never seen a high-ranking spirit gasped in astonishment.
There was no need for a high-ranking spirit just to infuse magic.
This was a show.
“The goal is probably for the heroine’s faction to take the lead.”
Yeniel was showcasing knowledge to the people, the crown prince was leading, and Sian, the crown prince’s strategist, was showing how strong he was.
And Max?
“Oh, Max…”
Max was just standing behind the crown prince. That was all.
Max was probably the true lucky one, the one casually riding the coattails of the crown prince’s faction.
As the magic flowed in, the large mirror gleamed brightly.
The color of the sky, like a light winter blue, matched well with the spirit Sian had summoned.
Then a ticking sound began to echo from the mirror, like the sound of clock hands spinning rapidly.
Tick-tick.
Tick-tick-tick.
“Is that the sound of a clock?”
“What’s happening?”
As everyone murmured, the sky of the floating garden, which had seemed fixed in time, began to change slowly.
It was like watching a time-lapse of the sky.
From morning to noon, then from noon to afternoon.
The clear sky, with the sun high above, began to dip, and the sunlight grew faint.
In the meantime, the clouds moved rapidly, shifting and gathering.
Tick.
Tick.
Then it changed to the usual sound of a clock.
The change in the floating garden sky stopped.
Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound from the side of the floating garden.
People flinched, as if they wanted to investigate the source right away. The crown prince nodded in acknowledgment.
“From the sound, it seems like something has happened. Let’s investigate the source of that sound before continuing the meeting. In the meantime, everyone should select one representative from each group. Sian will send a communication spirit.”
Then the survivors scattered in their groups.
Sian appeared to be busy meeting with the representatives who had come to him and giving them some instructions.
The crown prince, Max, and Yeniel were walking together.
“Let’s go, Lady April.”
Yeniel called out to me.
“Yes!”
Since we had already come from the west, we had to investigate the east, which we hadn’t yet explored.
We left the floating garden and walked eastward.
“It’s a shame. If only Count Isengrif hadn’t used the spirit, Max would have helped His Highness, but with that man’s arrogance, other people will surely lose respect for him!”
Max muttered angrily, having done nothing noteworthy on his own.
“There’s a reason why the distribution was entrusted to him. Sian also needs to return to reality soon. He has a strong sense of responsibility, so when he realizes how much he has to do, he’ll come to his senses. Is that a door over there?”
Passing through the corridor with the floating garden, we came to a large, ornate door in the hall.
The entire third floor gleamed with grandeur, and the doors were adorned with golden frames and jewels. The interior was sure to be just as luxurious.
When Yeniel saw the door, she spoke.
“When the mirror of obsession was activated earlier, there was a huge noise. This must be the source of the noise we heard next to the floating garden.”
“Wow, Lady Yeniel, you’re so smart! How did you figure that out?”
“There’s only one place where such a sound could have come from, and I’ve seen it once before. It’s a door that moves using a magical device.”
Yeniel spoke vaguely, but Max, without realizing, spoke up.
“What do you mean by that? Doors that move using magical devices are from a thousand years ago, things you only find in the underworld…”
“Ugh!”
The crown prince grabbed Max’s head.
Unlike me, the crown prince’s large hand enveloped Max’s head, as if about to crush it like a basketball.
“Your Highness?”
Max asked, thoroughly confused.
The crown prince awkwardly apologized.
“I’m sorry. Actually, I was just trying what Lady April did earlier, and it looked like fun.”
Max’s face turned pale.
“Oh no, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean any harm.”
“Is that so? What…oh dear.”
Max turned green in an instant. He had just realized that the crown prince’s joke had a bit of a bite.
I should have realized earlier why Yeniel was speaking vaguely.
The door she was talking about was the switch door in the 4th-floor temple courtyard.
But thinking about it, this was proof that Yeniel was also under pressure.
If she spoke directly, even “that” April might recall the situation back then.
Now I could feel the pressure increasing for the heroine’s faction.
They were keeping their mouths shut, giving each other sidelong glances.
We approached the grand, firmly closed double doors first.
As we neared, a few nobles greeted me with eye contact. I smiled brightly, pretending not to recognize them, but they seemed to understand.
As we got closer, I saw headless servants swiftly passing by us, busily walking around.
They passed through as though there were no door at all, moving around freely.
