The Hero’s Party Members Treat Me Well for Some Reason - Chapter 96



The Struggle for Sovereignty (1)

After hearing information about the next Heavenly King from Ennen, I returned to reality immediately. There was no need to stay any longer since my business was already concluded.

It seemed she had to exert some effort to send me back to reality, after all.

Like last time, she brought forth her true form.

As she unleashed her power, she asked me with a tone laced with concern.

“Will you close your eyes this time?”

“I’ll think about it.”

Of course, I didn’t close my eyes. Even if it was a bit overwhelming, I needed to observe for now.

That way, I could gauge how much stronger I had become.

Kugugugu!

At last, as she released her power, ‘something’ appeared in the sky.

It wasn’t particularly a gigantic form or anything like that. I couldn’t even properly discern what shape it took. Before that, a colossal presence had already weighed down upon me.

In the sensation of being crushed like a bug, I thought to myself.

‘… It’s more bearable than last time.’

Though chills still ran down my spine and my stomach churned, I could at least keep my wits about me.

As she exerted her power, I found myself back in the church.

Determined not to retch like last time, I was holding on when someone burst through the door.

Bang!

This scene looked oddly similar to the last time.

“It’s a disaster, Hero!”

The one who rushed in was a soldier who appeared to be a messenger. He spoke urgently as he looked at me.

“Ma-MacGuff has died!”

And just like that, I received the news of the strongest in the Empire’s death as soon as I finished my prayer.

It seems that every time I meet Enen, something goes wrong.

Just the other day, right after meeting Enen, the news of the puppet state’s invasion broke, didn’t it?

But this time, it seemed like things were escalating even further. The death of the Supreme Commander, no less.

Thanks to that, I had no choice but to blame the innocent Enen.

‘That b*stard, the root of all evil.’

Of course, Enen did nothing wrong here, but given the timing, such thoughts were unavoidable.

Anyway. My first reaction upon hearing the news of MacGuff’s death was this.

“…Shit.”

It was truly a big deal. To think that man had died.

This wasn’t simply a matter of losing military strength. His recognition was also a problem.

After all, he was someone of the rank of Supreme Commander of the Empire.

He was one of the central figures of the Empire. For such a person to suddenly pass away like this.

‘Public sentiment is going to be chaotic for a while.’

And that chaos would inevitably lead to the strengthening of the Demon Lord’s power.

This alone was problematic, but it was obvious that the Demon Lord’s army would also intensify their invasion in the future.

The one responsible for guarding the borders of the Demon Realm was dead. The Demon Lord’s minions wouldn’t just sit idly by.

I asked the messenger with a serious expression.

“Who else has died besides Sir MacGuff?”

“Yes, most of the forces that set out to subdue him followed suit…”

I rubbed my temples. I had to stop there.

It seemed like hearing more would only give me a worse headache.

Instead, I decided to think positively.

If I had to pick a silver lining… it was that MacGuff was part of the First Prince’s faction.

No, to be more precise, he was someone who would naturally become part of the First Prince’s faction.

To him, who was busy killing demons, politics must have been a nuisance.

However, he would have participated for the sake of the Empire’s swift stability; after all, that would ensure his army could operate smoothly.

And his solution for stability would likely be to support the most viable candidate.

In other words, if I supported the Third Princess, he was someone I would inevitably clash with at some point.

Of course, even excluding that, it would have been much better if he were still alive…

I sighed and asked the messenger once more.

“Who is the opponent? Do you know who it is?”

“Yes, the soldier who returned told me. He said it was a single man wielding a sword. I wanted to ask more, but the soldier was in a daze… I’m sorry…”

I let out a sigh once more. Just hearing the story made me feel like I knew who the opponent was.

In fact, even while asking, I had already come to a rough conclusion. Someone who could overwhelm MacGuff with just a sword.

‘There’s no one else.’

The next opponent I would face, the Four Heavenly Kings, Evan Clockworker.

I frowned. Thanks to what he had done, all the arrogance I had was completely discarded.

No matter how much my strength had somewhat returned, to face MacGuff and all those troops alone?

Right now, even dealing with just MacGuff would be tough for me.

As I was lost in serious thought, the messenger cautiously asked me.

“What should we do?”

“… For now, please keep his death a secret. There’s no need to add to the confusion by announcing it.”

“… I will convey that first.”

The emperor would agree with this.

There’s no need to spread bad news, especially with the power transition approaching.

It won’t be easy to hide for long, but it should be possible for a while.

So, what else can be done?

Sadly, there was nothing. With this, I had learned about the opponent’s strength.

There was no need to go now, knowing I would clearly lose.

‘Right now, leveling up is the priority.’

To fend off the invading Demon King’s army and drive away the First Prince.

Getting stronger was the first step. Fortunately, there are still plenty of means to grow stronger. Soon, I would need to seek out the Black Magic Tower to learn new dark magic.

Anyway, I wrapped up the conversation and sent the messenger away.

After a few days of resting, a letter flew to me.

It was a letter sent by the Third Princess. She was the one who sent the letter first.

The content of the letter was really simple, without any unnecessary embellishments.

– The plan has been moved up.

– Please come to the designated place tomorrow evening.

With the concise message was an enclosed address. It seemed the execution date was sooner than I had expected.

Although it is unfortunate that MacGuff died, it did not come as a crisis for everyone.

For someone, a crisis can also be an opportunity for many who can seize it.

Among them was Princess Daela von Pildor.

“It’s sad that he’s gone… but thanks to that, I’ve managed to catch a good timing.”

As I mentioned earlier, MacGuff’s death would undoubtedly bring chaos to the country.

And with that chaos, the workload for the nobles who had to manage the situation would also increase.

And that meant it would soon become difficult to focus on other matters.

From our perspective, aiming for the first prince’s downfall, it was no different from a golden opportunity. The fewer eyes watching, the better.

“It might be a bit hasty, but it would be better to act quickly.”

When I arrived at the designated location, she was not alone.

In a dark space resembling a basement, there were at least ten people gathered. Contrary to what I thought, that she wouldn’t have gathered any forces, she had hidden allies.

I thought to myself.

‘Good thing I wore the hood and mask.’

Before coming here, she had hinted that there would be other people.

Therefore, I had to be careful not to reveal my identity.

My curse was a problem, but the fact that she and I were involved was a problem in itself.

Even if they were allies.

Since I couldn’t predict where information might leak from, it was better for as few people to know as possible.

That said, it was quite fascinating. I wondered when she had managed to gather so many people.

So, I lowered my voice more than usual to avoid detection and asked her.

“I thought you said you couldn’t gather any forces. Who are these people?”

“Well, you know… they’re considered a headache for the country…”

Daela trailed off after saying that. But even that was enough for me to figure it out.

They were the Resistance. A group of dissidents opposing the current empire.

I had occasionally encountered them in the game, but to think I would run into them in reality now.

Hearing that, I frowned inwardly.

‘…This isn’t good.’

To be honest, it wasn’t a very good choice.

No matter how urgent it was to establish her own power, the Resistance was a risky move.

This wasn’t about the character or quality of this group; I felt the same way about the current empire.

The real issue is legitimacy. The fact that a princess is colluding with the resistance.

If things went wrong, she could easily be branded a traitor and have no defense.

But fortunately, it seemed she was already considering this problem.

“Don’t worry about that. We have legitimacy.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“Nailse.”

It was then that someone interrupted our conversation.

From noble mtl dot com

I turned my head towards the source of the noise. There stood a man with graying hair, slowly entering his old age. Though it was my first time seeing him in person, I knew who he was.

Albert Brennan. The current head of the Brennan family. In this era where the First Prince’s faction is trending, he is one of the few high-ranking nobles maintaining neutrality.

And at the same time, one of the main executives of the resistance.

Realizing this, I understood what she was thinking. She intended to mobilize not only herself but also other nobles to prove their legitimacy.

The reason she joined the resistance was not for the purpose of rebellion, but to instigate a self-purification process within the Empire.

The Empire is rotting in many places, and they only wish to clean it up.

Of course, the slogans originally proposed by the resistance were similar, but when nobles join in, the voice changes.

After all, isn’t there just a fine line between rebellion and revolution?

Yet, even so, I shook my head. The thought wasn’t bad. It just lacked power.

Even a marquis could make a loud voice, but it would be nothing more than throwing eggs at a rock when it comes to standing against the First Prince.

“There’s not just Duke Albert.”

“We are here too.”

As I was lost in thought, another voice came through. In fact, quite a few voices. Young men and women, full of vigor, were looking at the princess and me.

Unfortunately, this time they were unfamiliar faces. However, judging by their clear skin and luxurious clothing, I could predict their backgrounds. Children of noble families or kids from wealthy backgrounds.

As I observed them, Deila began to explain.

“That’s Lowell, the third son of the Kehlern family, and Nia, the second daughter of the Jeffrey family. About half of those gathered here are of noble descent.”

All unfamiliar figures to me. This meant that these were people she had personally recruited this time.

“People will think that I couldn’t even sway the hearts of neutral nobles, let alone build a faction. No, it only seems that way on the surface; in reality, I have been preparing things beneath the surface.”

If one voice is weak, two or three can speak at once.

If even that is weak, then dozens can raise their voices. When dozens gather, hundreds more will follow them. When people gather like that, the Empire cannot ignore them.

That’s why she gathered the nobles. Excluding Albert, their ranks might be somewhat lower, but still, they are dozens of nobles. It was bound to attract attention.

Seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Just say you want to rebel…”

As I mentioned, rebellion and revolution are separated by just a thread.