CHAPTER 157
We were waiting, talking about how Iox and Vanessa were doing.
“Yes, Sir Harua. Thank you again for what you did back then.”
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well.”
I saw Babiyen and Aranseol returning in the distance.
I wondered what the two of them had talked about. Now that they had both revealed their feelings for me, seeing them together like that did make my head spin a little.
What were the relationship customs in this world for people who’ve confessed to each other? Thinking about it from a modern person’s perspective was complicated, but I couldn't recall any of this world’s standards.
Of course I couldn’t. I’d never been interested in the love lives of this-worlders.
‘Then again, what kind of interest would a guy who goes around calling everyone ‘uncivilized’ have in the first place?’
Looking back on myself, I felt a bit pathetic. But the fact that I still couldn't shake this mindset was proof that I hadn't fully settled down here.
‘Settling down.’
I remembered talking about a house with Aranseol before, back when I was dreaming of real estate glory, planning to buy when the prices dropped.
‘If I buy a house and live in it…'
Would that mean I’ve settled down?
What would I be then?
A Transferee, or a this-worlder?
Would I become one of the this-worlders I despise and live out my life in this world?
As I was lost in thought, Babiyen approached me. As soon as she saw me, she bowed her head deeply.
“Harua, I’m sorry for acting so strangely earlier.”
Beside her, Aranseol nodded with a satisfied look on her face.
What in the world happened?
“It’s fine. I wasn’t bothered by it.”
I didn’t know the details, but it seemed Aranseol had handled it well. If that was the case, then it didn’t matter.
“Anyway, I’m going to see Lady Vanessa.”
Although I received regular reports from Vanessa, I might have more to discuss with her in person. More than anything, what the 1st Princess told me was weighing on my mind. Vanessa was already long dead. There would be no problem in confiding in her.
‘Besides, if she cared about things like that…’
The 1st Princess wouldn't have told me in the first place.
So, I intended to seek advice from someone connected to the world of politics. As an acquaintance of the Finance Minister, she would know a lot about the current political climate.
“What about you, Babiyen?”
When I asked Babiyen what she wanted to do, she nodded.
“I’ll go with you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her. And you’ll be leaving again soon anyway, right?”
“No. I’m not planning on leaving.”
“Huh?”
Babiyen looked completely bewildered.
“I’ve decided to return to the capital. I’ll be stopping by the Imperial Palace regularly, too.”
I had just received a deal from the 1st Princess. For the time being, I planned to visit the palace frequently.
‘The situation in the palace is unusually tense, too.’
I had only met the 2nd Prince and the 1st Princess, but I had a feeling the 1st Prince was no pushover either. I was sure he was more than capable of stirring up trouble. To prepare for that, I had no choice but to keep a close watch on the palace.
“Oh, is… is that so?”
Babiyen’s face brightened noticeably. I hadn’t expected her to be so openly happy about it.
“Babiyen, it’s written all over your face.”
“S-So what! I’m happy, what do you want me to do about it!”
She’s so bold.
Beside her, Aranseol covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter.
Seriously, what did you two talk about?
Still, they didn't seem to be on bad terms. Looking at them now, they actually seemed quite friendly.
“Well, let’s get going for now.”
It would be a pain if the 2nd Prince showed up after hearing news of the 1st Princess. Let’s get out of here quickly.

Iox’s mansion, bestowed upon him by the Imperial Family, was configured like a resort villa. I could feel how much effort he had put into preparing it for Vanessa.
“This entire garden is filled with flowers that Lady Vanessa loved when she was alive,” Iox said with a proud look on his face.
It was just like him, a man of pure love who had cherished the woman he loved his entire life, even after her death.
“Sir Harua, you’re here!”
Just then, Vanessa waved from a distance and approached us. She had put on some weight, making her look much healthier. It seemed Iox had been diligently treating her to delicious food. It was good to see her looking well.
Iox, who I had just seen this afternoon, beamed as if seeing her again was the greatest joy. All dignity of a Lord had vanished.
“Did you finish your training?”
“Yes. You look healthy, Lady Vanessa.”
“That’s because I was born into a new body!”

Cheerfulness must run in the family.
“Oh my, but who is this person behind you?”
Vanessa looked surprised, as this was the first time she had seen Aranseol. Aranseol politely bowed her head in greeting.
“Hello. My name is Aranseol. I’m a colleague of Harua and Babiyen.”
“Wow, you’re truly beautiful.”
“Thank you. You are also very beautiful, Lady Vanessa.”
“I’ve worked hard to maintain my looks, even at this age.”
In reality, Vanessa’s physical age wasn’t much different from ours. Her sense of humor had improved a lot.
“Sir Harua, do you have a place to stay in the capital?”
“Probably with the Holy Church or the Regular Army, I suppose?”
“In that case, why don’t you just stay at this mansion? There are plenty of empty rooms.”
That was an unexpected offer. But thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a bad idea. This place wasn’t far from the Imperial Palace, and Iox would be visiting daily with news.
However, I wasn't sure how Iox would feel, so I glanced at him. He nodded in agreement.
“Sir Harua is my lifelong benefactor. It would be much better for you to stay here than anywhere else.”
I thought he might be disappointed to have his private time with Vanessa taken away, but he agreed more readily than I expected. These two were truly harmless people. Then again, it’s because they were like this that they would so desperately try to save the mixed-blood tribes. They were people who truly didn’t know how to look after themselves.
“Yes, in that case, I will take you up on your offer.”
“Wonderful!”
Vanessa was overjoyed and led the way.
“Come, come, let’s go inside. Oh, and Babiyen.”
“Yes?”
“Could you come over here for a moment?”
As she guided us inside, Vanessa suddenly called Babiyen over. Babiyen approached her with a puzzled expression. After they exchanged a few words, her face turned bright red.
“Y-Yes?”
What did she hear?
Babiyen’s head snapped towards me, but she flinched and looked away when our eyes met.
What’s with her?
I didn’t know what was going on, but I hoped it was nothing serious.

Afterward, I had a long talk with Vanessa. After hearing my entire story, Vanessa shared the information she had gathered.
The Imperial Palace was, in a word, the calm before the storm. Factions were clashing endlessly behind the scenes, with occasional secret struggles for power.
“It’s only this calm because His Majesty has not yet passed. The moment he does, all hell will break loose.”
Why did all three of them have to be so capable? I could clearly feel that the Gladion Empire was about to go up in flames.
“Do you have any idea what the 1st Princess was talking about?”
“Hmm, I’ll have to look into it.”
The Emperor will die before his natural time is up. That clearly meant someone was aiming for the Emperor’s life.
It wouldn’t be the 1st Princess making a move herself. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have told me. It meant she had somehow obtained this information and was waiting for it to happen.
‘A reason to target the life of an emperor whose lifespan is already at its end.’
If I could figure that out, I could identify who it was.
“Is there a reason why His Majesty the Emperor needs to die early?”
“A reason, you say…”
Vanessa pondered for a while before recalling a certain fact.
“Ah, the 3rd Prince.”
The 3rd Prince.
I tilted my head at her next words.
“Isn’t the 3rd Prince very young?”
The 3rd Prince. The Emperor’s libido must have remained strong even in his old age, as he had managed to have a child at his age. The 3rd Prince was currently only ten years old. Naturally, he was far from being a candidate for the throne. Come to think of it, looking at the ages of the other princes and the princess, the Emperor had children quite late in life. Perhaps having children was naturally delayed because the world was in chaos due to war. He did say he fought in the war himself, so that explained everything.
“His Majesty the Emperor doted on the 3rd Prince.”
Well, he was the youngest. The youngest child is always doted on everywhere.
“It was so much that he often said, as if it were a habit, that he wanted to give the throne to the 3rd Prince.”
“I doubt the other princes or the princess took that seriously.”
“No, but while the Empress might not have, the imperial consorts think differently.”
He was the emperor of a nation. Naturally, he married several women and had children. The 1st Prince, 2nd Prince, 3rd Prince, and 1st Princess all had different mothers.
“The imperial consorts are also engaged in a vicious battle for the throne, to give their children even the slightest advantage. It seems the 3rd consort, who gave birth to the 3rd Prince, believed His Majesty’s words and has been muddying the waters quite a bit.”

So she’s been doing everything she can to be a nuisance.
“There’s a possibility that someone wants to nip the problem in the bud before any unnecessary rumors start. Ah, of course, this is just a possibility.”
Vanessa waved her hand as if she had spoken out of turn. Still, it was the most plausible theory. I didn’t think the 1st Prince, 2nd Prince, or 1st Princess would do anything that would put them at a disadvantage. In that case, could one of the consorts be behind this?
“But if you think about it logically…”
“Sir Harua, let me tell you one important fact.”
Vanessa said with a very serious expression.
“When a woman has a child, she can become endlessly foolish when it comes to that child.”
That was a surprisingly grim statement.
“Of course, the position of a mother is wonderful, but separate from that, she can become incredibly selfish when it comes to her child.”
I wonder if she had experienced something like that. There was a sharp edge to Vanessa’s words.
“So, a mother is also someone who you can’t predict what she’ll do if things go wrong concerning her child.”
“So you’re saying one of the consorts might kill His Majesty the Emperor.”
This too was just a possibility. However, Vanessa’s speculation, based on what she had been hearing about the situation in the palace, was likely not wrong.
“I’ll have my people look into this further.”
“Yes, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Fufu, I never thought having good academy peers would be this helpful. Now that we’re older, everyone has become a connection.”
“That’s probably because you were so good to your classmates, Lady Vanessa.”
“That’s because back then, only good memories remained.”
As you get older, you see more of each other’s ugliness. Ironically, perhaps all her peers were being so good to Vanessa because only their memories of their school days remained.
“You should make many memories at this time too, Sir Harua. They will become memories that last a lifetime.”
“Aren’t you still in the middle of making memories yourself, Lady Vanessa?”
Again, Vanessa wasn’t much different from us in age.
“It’s alright. I captured all my memories from that time without any left behind.”
Vanessa, revived long after her era had passed. To her, this era might feel like being stranded alone on a deserted island. Her resurrection, done without considering her position, might not have been a welcome event for her. For some, life can be more frightening than death.
However, Vanessa accepted everything calmly. Though her appearance was not much different from mine, she was a different person from me.
“You are an adult, Lady Vanessa.”
“Oh my, are you saying I look old? I’ve been working hard on my skincare.”
“Yes, you do feel like someone of that age.”
Vanessa and I exchanged jokes and laughed.
“I think we can be good friends, Sir Harua.”
“I would also be happy if we could maintain a good friendship in the future.”
Unknowingly, Vanessa was becoming a real power player in the empire’s underworld. Her peers were all influential figures who held positions in the empire. Since they were all excitedly participating for the sake of the Vanessa in their memories, her influence had grown larger than expected.
“I look forward to the continued well-being of the Queen of the Underworld.”
“Fufu, you should get my autograph in advance.”
Truly, she was a proud queen.