Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 278: The Banquet Of The Exiled (3)

The capital of the Rien Empire, Rien.

Like many other cities, the empire’s capital was also built around a large river.

The empire was vast.

Thus, the capital of the empire was also vast.

Not far from the imperial palace, a river flowed, and as you walked along its banks, you would come upon the National Assembly.

After walking for about 30 minutes, you’d find the courthouse, and another hour’s walk would bring you to the Public Security Agency, which oversees the Department of Police.

Beyond the river lay the National Tax Service, and if you traveled upstream, you’d find the Central Bank of the Empire.

“Hero, how long are we going to keep walking? We’ve been circling the same spot for three hours already.”

Latera, who had been holding Shiron’s hand as they walked, grumbled.

Though she usually didn’t feel fatigue, thanks to her trick of spiritualization, for some reason, she had been walking steadily on her two legs today.

As a result, her legs were hurting, and Shiron, seeing her outstretched arms, lifted her up onto his back.

“Well, you should’ve just stayed at the mansion.”

“How can I stay home all the time? I’ve been cooped up at the mansion ever since you returned, Hero. I need to go out occasionally.”

“…If you say so.”

Shiron sighed at the obvious lie.

A follower of a god who valued virtue through good deeds, telling lies? He could see right through her.

Ever since their visit to the imperial palace, Latera had not used her spiritualization ability. Normally, she would disappear without a trace and speak to him telepathically, but after realizing that Latera was ‘deliberately’ watching every time they engaged in private matters, her behavior had subtly changed.

“That’s not it. I just wanted to talk with you, Hero, alone.”

“…”

Reading his thoughts and changing the subject of conversation like this was something she hadn’t done before either.

“It’s because you keep doubting me, Hero!”

“It’s a reasonable suspicion. You can read my thoughts like an open book and hide in ways I can’t even notice—how could I not be suspicious?”

Despite grumbling, Shiron approached a street vendor. After buying sugar-coated donuts, he lowered Latera and handed one to her.

“…Fine, but just stay away when I’m in the bathroom.”

“What do you take me for?”

“What do you think?”

Shiron plopped down on a bench and continued.

“I see you as a little voyeur.”

“Oh, come on! No, I’m not!”

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“I got it. Just eat your donut without making a mess.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not!”

Even while protesting, Latera took a big bite of the donut. Her appetite was so big that the pile of donuts he had bought was gone in no time.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

Shiron pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the crumbs off Latera’s mouth. Normally, she would have just communicated telepathically, but she was being stubborn for no reason and putting herself through unnecessary hardship.

“Is a war really going to break out?”

Latera’s question was filled with caution.

It wasn’t because she felt better after eating something sweet, but because the unease lingering in Shiron’s mind had not disappeared.

Since before they left the house, maybe even long before that.

Even after confirming that the emperor was a woman, the unease hadn’t gone away, so Latera couldn’t help but peek into Shiron’s thoughts.

“Is it what Lucia said that’s bothering you?”

“That’s part of it.”

“Then what?”

“…It’s your soul, Hero. It’s been restless, as if destruction is imminent.”

She didn’t mention that when she peeked into his mind, she saw an empire consumed by flames. Latera knew that Shiron was uncomfortable with some of her abilities, and she didn’t want to say anything that might ruin their relationship.

That’s also why she wasn’t using her spiritualization and clinging to him physically.

“Did you… see a prophecy?”

Latera glanced at Shiron as she spoke.

“…There’s no prophecy left to see. Everything is already too twisted.”

“What’s twisted?”

“……Fate. The future I knew and the present are completely different.”

Shiron nibbled on his donut, then, losing his appetite, handed the rest to Latera.

“The emperor, who I thought was a man, turned out to be a woman. Lucia, who used to hate me like I was her worst enemy, now likes me. Siriel, who once treated me like garbage, now can’t live a day without me. Neither my uncle nor my father is dead.”

Yuma and the Fervent Dragon weren’t dead either. In this situation, what use was the knowledge from Reincarnation of the Sword Saint that he had?

“Is that really true?”

Latera’s eyes widened. While she could accept that the emperor wasn’t a man, it was hard to believe that Lucia or Siriel ever hated Shiron more than an enemy.

“It’s too early to be surprised.”

Shiron chuckled, then ruffled Latera’s hair roughly.

“There were many more changes than what I just told you. Would you believe it if I told you that Lucia ran away from Dawn Castle when she was 12?”

“No.”

“What about Siriel being slapped by my uncle for questioning why I became the heir?”

“Not at all.”

“There’s even a future where a teenage Lucia, in search of her identity, wandered the continent and got involved with barbarians in a terror plot.”

“…That’s insane.”

“Right? Even I can’t believe it anymore. But,”

But this was the undeniable truth. The future Shiron knew came entirely from his experience of the story of Reincarnation of the Sword Saint.

[Yoru, the Warrior of Silleya]

It was a story from the third expansion pack, and though the storyline felt a bit disconnected, once you consider Lucia’s origins, it started to make sense.

“Lucia’s past life, Kyrie, was a nomad from Silleya. She didn’t belong to either the Prient family or the empire, so it’s no surprise that her heart would be drawn in that direction.”

“…Silleya? Are you talking about those barbarians we met in the sewers that time?”

“Yeah. Although it was brief, seeing her former people stirred something in Lucia’s heart.”

Latera let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s a relief. Because Lady Kyrie loves you, Hero.”

“…Even if she didn’t love me, she’s already attended the academy. There’s no way she’d side with them, considering her friends.”

Shiron looked across the flowing river.

A grand building in Neo-Gothic style came into view—it was the Imperial Academy where Lucia had recently graduated.

Though Shiron hadn’t expected Lucia to do well at the academy, seeing her friends show up to celebrate her graduation made him think he might have been worrying for nothing.

“But I still can’t believe it.”

Latera, wearing a perplexed expression, sucked on her finger.

“For the kind Lady Lucia to get involved in a terror plot, taking civilians hostage… She might be a bit naive, but she’s not someone who would harm innocent people.”

“What if they’re not innocent?”

Shiron turned his head to watch the passersby.

Though it was a bitter winter, the people walking along the street didn’t seem gloomy. Everyone either had something to eat in their hands or was smoking cigarettes or some other indulgence.

“No matter how strong the empire is, doesn’t it seem a bit odd? The people look carefree, and there’s no sign of a slum like in any other city.”

“…Isn’t it because the empire has such immense national power?”

“Oh… You didn’t say it was because of the Lord’s blessing?”

“What do you take me for?”

Latera made a face, clearly offended.

“Please don’t lump me in with those brainless religious zealots! Angels, like me, are the beings closest to the truth of the world and the first to hear the Lord’s voice. I’m not like those idiots who use the Lord’s name to turn a blind eye to the world’s darkness!”

“Uh, sure.”

“Let me tell you this. Even though I look like this, I’m far superior to those so-called saints that humans gather around and worship! I can give blessings, bestow divine power, and… I’m also great at lie detection!”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re amazing. Now wipe your mouth.”

Shiron wiped Latera’s mouth as she continued her passionate rant. Annoyed at being treated like a child, Latera pushed the handkerchief away and licked her lips.

“…What’s the real reason? Could it be that Lady Kyrie’s heart was moved by some great sin?”

“Something like that.”

Shiron looked at Latera with a bitter expression.

“Several hundred years ago, when the empire was founded, many countries existed below the mountain range.”

“Ah, so the empire destroyed those countries? That’s a bit too predictable.”

“If that were all, would the barbarians still be attacking the empire with terror campaigns?”

Shiron sighed, implying that the situation wasn’t so simple.

“The problem is that Kyrie is a hero of lowly origin.”

“…Why is that a problem?”

Latera widened her eyes in surprise. Shiron tilted his head with a smile.

“Think about it. A hero, someone destined to save humanity, came from uncivilized barbarians who didn’t even have written language or culture.”

“…But the Silleya had both culture and language.”

“From the perspective of the nations that led the alliance, a hero emerging from barbarians who didn’t farm and lived by hunting and selling monster parts? It was a blow to their pride.”

“That must have hurt their ego quite a bit.”

Latera felt sorry for the Silleya people but could also understand the perspective of those from that time.

It was hard to deny, given how she had just boasted about being an angel.

“Still, Lady Kyrie wasn’t born in the empire, was she? If they had manipulated things for centuries, it wouldn’t be strange for a statue of her to stand in the center of the empire.”

“Whether it was because of their conscience or their lack of ability…”

As of now, Kyrie’s origins as a Silleya had been erased.

“Maybe they just gave up midway because too much time had passed.”

“…And?”

“Likewise, the Silleya people themselves no longer know why they’re fighting the empire.”

“…What about them?”

“So much time has passed, and they’ve moved their settlements so often that they’ve forgotten. To them, what they need now is bread, not the past.”

This was a fact that could not be changed, no matter how much fate twisted.

The past, before Shiron’s intervention, could not be altered, no matter what.

“Do you think they’ll keep attacking?”

Now that the empire’s forces were scattered due to the subjugation system, it was the perfect time to strike.

Shiron cracked his neck and glanced to the side, where a group of police officers was leisurely smoking together.

In the empire, it was said that those who mastered aura became knights, while those who fell short became police officers.

Shiron was genuinely worried about their safety.