CHAPTER 175
"It would be the same no matter which of the three of us was sitting in this seat. And right now, I am the one in this seat."

Perasis didn't think she was vastly superior to Pelion or Dreivan.
They were similar, with only marginal differences.
Because the difference was so slight, the three factions were so evenly matched.
But what was certain at this moment was that Perasis was the one holding the power and the opportunity.

"Saint, what you desire most is for this world to remain unshaken. Stability and eternity. That is exactly what you want most."

She was right.
What I wanted most was the world's stability.
Because it was the world I had to live in, I wanted a world that wouldn't waver, where I could live peacefully from now on.
That's what I wished for.
Only then would other Transferees like me be able to live without problems even if they appeared.

"And because of that, it wouldn't have mattered to you who became the Emperor."

The 1st Prince, the 2nd Prince, or the 1st Princess.
What I wanted from the three candidates was to see who could stabilize the world.
Who could put an end to this turmoil.
That was the only thing that mattered to me.

"As of right now, the 1st and 2nd Princes are the ones who will cause turmoil in the Empire. Would you really trust and support them, trying to overthrow the current regime?"

She explained why she could trust me.

"No, you wouldn't. Just as I am willing to do whatever it takes for what I want, you are a similar type of person."

The Little Giant, Perasis Gladion.
As mentioned before, she was a woman who would do anything for her goals.
And I was the same kind of human.
Perasis knew this fact better than anyone.
Because the way she looked at me wasn't much different from the way I looked at her.

"Me becoming the Emperor. That is a solid goal where both you and I can achieve our shared objectives."

Perasis curled up the corners of her mouth.

"That is why I can trust the Saint more than anyone else."

She had her eyes set on me from the very beginning.
From the moment she saw the path I had walked and met me face-to-face.

"Saint, because you are someone who will inevitably board the same boat as me."

The absolute pinnacle of arrogance.
Yet, that arrogance wasn't unnecessary for an Emperor.
Rather, it was a required virtue for the Emperor of a nation.

She had no intention of revealing the fact that the 1st Prince had joined hands with Black Dawn.
If she did that, the 1st Prince would go all out without hesitation.
She had no intention of plunging the Empire into a civil war.

So she needed me.
Someone who could crush Black Dawn and prevent the 1st Prince from doing anything foolish.
That was me.

"Phew."

I slowly released the breath I had been holding.
What Perasis said wasn't a request for cooperation.
What she was saying was something that was bound to happen.
Because she knew better than anyone that I hated Black Dawn and wanted to blow them away.
And she knew better than anyone that I would have no qualms about making someone like her the Emperor.

"His Majesty the Emperor will be revived."

So, I made my decision as well.
It didn't matter to me what kind of person Perasis was.
Like she said, whether the 1st or 2nd Prince became the Emperor naturally had nothing to do with me.
But at this moment, there was only one person who could bring stability to the Empire.

"I will bring His Highness the 3rd Prince to that place."

Defeat Black Dawn and revive the Emperor.
And by bringing the 3rd Prince, the Emperor would directly bestow the throne upon Perasis, ending all controversies.
With that, Perasis would be able to become a flawless, undisputed Emperor.

"Excellent."

Perasis smiled, her cape fluttering.

"I knew it would turn out like this from the very first day I saw you, Saint."

Do you have future sight or something?

"I'll ask just one thing."

I had been played like a fiddle, but in the end, the choice was mine.

"Did you anticipate that Her Majesty the Empress would poison His Majesty the Emperor?"

Or...

"Did you intend for it to happen?"

The timing was impeccably exquisite.
Add to that her using the Black Dawn that the 1st Prince had allied with.
There was more than just one or two suspicious things.

Perasis slowly lowered her body, pulling her knees in and hugging them, then tilted her head.

"What do you think?"

She really wasn't going to give me a straight answer until the very end.
Which made it clear that she wouldn't have left a single piece of evidence behind while manipulating this flow of events.
Revealing the information for the first time in front of not just me, but a large gathering of people, was all intentional as well.
It was to make us wildly guess just how far her intentions stretched.

And ultimately, it included ensuring that our judgments would be finalized under her own design.
I had to admit it.
The person who would become the future Emperor of the Empire was operating on a much higher level than I was.
At the very least, it was certain that the Empire would be stable if she became the Emperor.

"Did you say you were similar to the 1st and 2nd Princes?"

The 1st and 2nd Princes.
They both possessed enough capability to become Emperor.
Just looking at the 1st Prince, he was someone who unhesitatingly used even Black Dawn.
The big picture they were drawing was terrifying.
But at least, not in front of this woman.

"My, you speak so mischievously."

Perasis had humbled herself, but the reality was completely different.
The first Empress regnant.
From the moment that title was attached to her, her starting line was vastly different from those two.
And yet, she had deliberately placed herself at the same starting line and still managed to devour the throne.
This woman was the same as those two?
I'm sorry, but that was an insult even to them.
The former Emperor must have recognized this as well, which was why he chose Perasis as his successor.

"However, I will say one thing."

And I had already felt this sensation of a 'monster beyond monsters' before.

"Do not underestimate Black Dawn."

The Sinner of Wrath, Asheria Eve.
When I faced that crazy bitch, I got the exact same feeling as I did with Perasis.
An unfathomable inner mind and the sensation of dancing in the palm of her hand.
I didn't know about the rest of Black Dawn, but Asheria Eve, at least, was an opponent who should never be taken lightly.

"Just as you say, I am not underestimating the Saint either. Because I firmly believe you will take care of Black Dawn for me."

Where the hell did I build up all this trust?
It was sigh-inducing, but what could I do?
It was the goal I had chosen.

"I'm going to pester you endlessly for help from now on."
"It's going to be a difficult path."

The Holy Church, the Regular Army.
And finally, the Imperial Family.
I had gathered all the cards.
Now, it was truly time to put an end to Black Dawn.

On the way out of the Imperial Palace.
I had complicated feelings in many ways, but I shook them off.
The 1st Prince.
How to suppress him was up to the 1st Princess.
The 1st Prince's side would definitely be thinking of their next move as well.
With the situation having gone completely awry, it wouldn't be strange if he started a rebellion right away.
That was beyond the realm of what I could handle.
I had no choice but to trust Perasis to prevent a revolt.

Was it because I had heard too much in just one day?
I felt like my head was heating up.
It felt as if I had caught some disease like malaria in the jungle known as the Imperial Palace.

'Why is this world so chaotic?'

Couldn't things just stay quiet for a bit?
Even if there are a lot of variables, I wish there was a limit to it.

As I trudged out of the Imperial Palace for a while, I spotted two familiar faces in the distance.
The two people waiting in front of the carriage that had brought me here.
Seeing them, for some reason, the heat that had risen to my head felt like it was slowly cooling down.

"Babiyen, Aranseol."

The moment I called their names, they both looked back at me simultaneously.
Hair mixed with black and white fluttered.
Hair the color of a red bleeding heart flower fluttered.
The familiar faces behind it painted relief and smiles as soon as they saw me.

"Harua."
"You're here."

Aranseol beamed, and Babiyen let out a deep sigh of relief.
They both had different reactions, but I could clearly feel that they had been worried about me.
That gave me some inexplicable emotion.
In this chaotic world, just the presence of these two people waiting for me felt like it was calming my heightened emotions.
It was a feeling I had never once experienced back when I lived on Earth.

It was a sensation where my mind, exhausted from being battered by so many things, melted away just by seeing their faces.
It was the same kind of relief as finding an oasis in a desolate desert.
I was surprised.
I already knew how precious they were, but to think that just seeing their faces would put my mind at ease like this.
I realized anew that these two were far more precious to me than I had thought.

As I trudged over, the two of them ran up and stuck to my sides.

"You've worked hard."
"Why the long face? I don't know what you did, but you must have handled it well, Harua."

Their trust was deep.
I felt like I was always causing trouble, but these two always put their faith in me like this.
That trust told me that today's exhausting ordeal hadn't been for nothing.

"What about His Highness the 3rd Prince?"

When I subtly asked about the 3rd Prince, Aranseol looked back toward the carriage and replied.

"We secured him safely. He should be with Her Highness the 3rd Consort right now."

As expected of Aranseol.

"There was a battle, right?"
"It wasn't difficult."

A dangerous guy must have gone to take the 3rd Prince, but it seemed she handled it well.
It meant her skills were now on par with the Imperial Family's forces.

"Harua, more importantly, tell us what happened with the situation."

Come to think of it, getting dragged away by the Imperial successors was a variable for me too.
Originally, I was just going to stall for time so Aranseol and Babiyen could safely escort the 3rd Prince.
It must have been nerve-wracking for them.
Naturally, they were both curious about the situation.
And for some reason, that fact made me laugh.
Did they tell me everything would be fine without even knowing what happened?
It was an unconditional affirmation toward me.

"Let's get in the carriage first."

It wasn't something to discuss outside.
Neither Babiyen nor Aranseol were the type to go around spreading rumors.
Above all, they knew best what would happen if a story like this leaked to the outside.

So, trusting them, I explained in detail what had happened inside.
After hearing the full explanation, Babiyen sat there blankly with a dumbfounded expression.

"Is our country going to be okay?"

As a citizen born and raised in Gladion, it was a concerning story.
It was a situation where even a slight misstep could shake the entire country with civil war.
Perasis's actions were no different from walking a tightrope over it.
Naturally, she couldn't help but worry.

"I'll make it okay."

But making it okay was my job.

"Yeah, Harua, I'll help too. Let's make it okay."

Aranseol also agreed with my statement.

"We've been working hard for that, haven't we?"

As she said, what we had to do hadn't changed from the start.
Defeat Black Dawn to keep this world peaceful.
It was an unchanging goal.

"Ugh, incidents that could end the world at any moment just keep popping up."

Babiyen hugged her stomach as if she had a stress-induced stomachache.
Then, she naturally leaned her head on my shoulder.

"This girl needs warmth. I'm going to die of stress at this rate."

Oh, look at how shameless she is.
Openly demanding a hug.

"Babiyen, I'll hug you. Harua, you hug me."

At that, Aranseol pushed her body toward Babiyen.
Babiyen freaked out and wildly swung her arms at Aranseol, but Aranseol's strength was overwhelming.
Babiyen, a mage, couldn't push Aranseol away.

"Kyaaah! T-This girl has no hobby of being hugged by another woman!"
"Babiyen, you're quite thin. You need to eat more."
"Who are you calling thin! This girl has a golden figure with curves in all the right places!"

Babiyen having a golden figure, huh.
I had never really thought about it.
Suddenly, I felt Babiyen's fiercely piercing glare.

"Don't even think about saying what you're thinking right now out loud."

Did she read my mind?
She's sharp.
But why is it?
Watching them like this, I feel the tension that gripped me until just a moment ago melting away.
And this kind of tranquility must be the daily life I wished for.
The daily life I hope will continue on forever.

'To protect this...'

I have to crush Black Dawn.