SILHN Chapter 42🎗🎗

I know that the cute, childlike way Vivi speaks is a clever form of psychological pressure. Why else would a regressor who’s on their second life talk like a two-year-old? It’s to put pressure on me: “Look, I’m just a kid. You’d be a terrible person to betray a child’s trust.”

Anyway, Vivi told me she took some escorts and went back into the underground garden without me. When I scolded her for being so reckless, she confidently retorted that she had a full set of mana stones and escorts capable of taking on magical beasts.

The result? The central entrance to the underground didn’t open.

You might think it was because Raymond had broken things during the rescue, even though it’s been temporarily repaired. But the Empire’s history is incredibly long. Even if people avoid the area because it’s dangerous, it’s highly unlikely that a problem would just arise now unless some very specific conditions were met.

Me + Vivi = Central maze garden entrance opens.

Vivi = Central maze garden entrance doesn’t open.

The variable, then, must be me.

The entrance opened even when I was at the edge of the maze garden. I thought one of two things was the cause: my status as a “direct descendant of the imperial family” or the emoticon-faced sword that called me its “contractor.”

So I just watched as Brian ran into the maze garden.

“A-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah!”

As soon as I stepped into effective range, the entrance opened and Brian fell into the underground. Watching him, I was sure it was the latter. There’s no way a direct descendant of the imperial family had never been to the center of the maze garden before. For this to happen specifically now, in this generation…

“…I really need to do some image rehabilitation for this sword.”

I’m probably the cause of this, right?

What exactly is this “contractor” thing that’s making the imperial palace so strange? If I had the sword in my hand, I could have asked it directly.

“Everything is ready.”

I gave a slight nod to the man who greeted me. He was a temporary escort from the Castraine Dukedom. I needed their help for this. I had just created a debt, and now I had to use one of them.

But there was no time to hesitate. You have to use the debts you have; saving them up is pointless. So I borrowed the Insignia of Gloriana for a short time and asked for their participation in this plan.

Now, the performance was critical.

Brian was probably running for his life in the underground maze, chased by the golden magical beast. There would be other beasts trapped down there, too.

The mana stone in the temporary escort’s hand flickered.

It was the signal.

I took a deep breath and ran. I threw myself into the hole that had opened in the center of the maze. This was the second time I had voluntarily fallen in here. The Insignia of Gloriana hanging on my shoulder fluttered and felt faintly warm.

“H-h-help m-me! Aaaaargh!”

I heard the scream of Prince Brian. An utterly useless human being whom I wouldn’t even dignify with a title like “older brother.” I actually considered just letting him die right there. He’s just as incompetent and greedy as the current Emperor. The source of Empress Cleo’s confidence. He’s not that smart, and while he caused some trouble in the original story, it was mostly in the latter half, not the beginning.

Oh, right. He disgustingly tried to court Vivi despite the age difference and got his comeuppance. And he was already engaged at the time.

“D-don’t do this… waaaah… Mother… Knights… Is no one there? Is anyone there…?”

But the Emperor still doted on him. This whole situation was something I’d orchestrated by stirring up the Castraine Dukedom and the Empress. Considering the aftermath of his death, it was better to just scare him and ruin his image. The beast growled as it approached Brian, who was peeing his pants and cowering against the wall.

This was the moment.

I grabbed the emoticon-faced sword that Raymond had secretly retrieved and moved here. Bzzzt, bzzzzzt, bzzzzzt! The trembling blade responded to me.

CONTRACTOR!!!! ＼༼㊜ɷ㊜༽/ !!!!!!! CONTRACTOR! I missed you, Contractor!!!! Outsiders dared to touch me, dared to desire me… o-oh? Contractor! I’ve confirmed a connection with the Insignia of Gloriana! Temporary ownership consciousness has been established, and you can use 2.5-grade functions! Would you like to proceed with formal ownership consciousness~?

Don’t you have any sense of timing? No!

Yes, skipping! (̵̵́╹ᴥ╹)̵̵̀!

With a trembling hand, I gripped the real sword and asked it in my mind.

Can you adjust your weight?

Ah, that’s impossible with the current grade… oh wait, it is! (๏_๏) I will reduce the weight to one-tenth for you, Contractor! There are other additional features available!

Tell me the 2.5-grade features, hurry!

Yes, the Holy Light function has been added! Duration is 30 seconds, cooldown is 10 minutes, effective area is 5 meters on each side! It emits a sacred light that can repel all kinds of nocturnal animals, insects, and magical beasts within the space! ✧٩(ˊˋ)و✧ The shortcut is ‘Shine’!*

Perfect. I had planned to use mana stones for a special effect. I’ll use this if it’s good.

While I was processing this, the magical beast opened its mouth wide and lunged at Brian.

Brian seemed to have given up entirely, closing his eyes and curling up on the floor in terror.

Ah, I’m running out of time. As soon as I gripped the sword and gave the signal, the people waiting outside cast a spell with their mana stones. The suppressed beast roared in agony, unable to touch Brian.

Someone hastily fluttered a piece of paper in front of me, with something scribbled on it.

[Emperor 2 meters away! Empress Cleo is with him!]

Alright, now’s the time!

The cue has been given!

“Haaaaaaaaap!”

I charged with the sword raised. The beast writhed in pain as the pressure from the mana stones intensified. Of course, it’s a temporary anti-beast barrier, sponsored by the Castraine family!

Brian was still quiet. If he’d opened his eyes, he might have realized something was wrong. Did he faint with his eyes closed…?

Well, that’s even better.

The murmuring grew closer.

“Brian, Brian! My baby, are you safe?!”

“What are you Royal Guards doing? Get in there immediately! My son, my son is right there!”

Good!

I lunged at the beast.

“Shine!”

Flash!

Flash!

Blinding Flash!

“Woooooooooooooo!”

The golden wolf beast let out a pained cry, closed its eyes, and flinched. Good, now to stage the defeat… !

It was then that I heard a strange voice.

[The existence of contractor ‘Titania’ has been confirmed]

My hand gripping the sword naturally tightened.

[Insignia of Gloriana – Direct contact confirmed. Horas’s power can be released.]

I don’t know what that means, but I’ll use it if I can.

“Release!”

[Approved]

As soon as I shouted, an immense light burst forth, engulfing the horde of magical beasts filling the underground.

“Kyaaah!”

“Aaaaah!”

“W-what is this!”

It was noisy all around, as if the expected audience had all arrived. The light was so dazzling that even I had to close my eyes for a moment.

Fzzzzzzzzz…

A breeze blew.

When I opened my eyes, the magical beasts were turning to ash from the tips of their bodies, crumbling away as if they had been burned by sunlight.

And I saw the Emperor staring blankly at the sight, and Empress Cleo looking at Brian with a pale face. Following them were the Royal Guards, knights, soldiers, and a grand priest with a look of shock on his face.

My helpers—from the Castraine Dukedom—were dressed as imperial knights or soldiers who had come to hunt the beasts, so they blended in perfectly. I saw Raymond quietly waiting behind the Emperor’s party.

Our eyes met for a moment.

I was startled, forgetting the current situation. I had always thought of him as a person with icy-cold golden eyes. But the eyes that were quietly looking at me now were a color that seemed to melt with an emotion very similar to worry.

Why? Why is he so agitated looking at me? Is it because I used some unknown power?

I tore my eyes away from Raymond and regained my composure.

The golden wolf beast was disappearing into dust even more slowly than the other beasts, which were already gone. It crumbled into sand-like particles right in front of the sword I held, even after everyone’s vision had returned.

The Emperor looked at the scene and spoke in a trembling voice.

“T-Titania, were you not still unawakened? What… what is this situation?”

“Father!”

With a solemn expression, I raised the sword and said, “This sword… it called to me, who had been asleep!”

This was the start of a righteous fabrication and manipulation.