Golden Return (5)
〈The Failed Swordsman of Sylvania〉 Act 4, Scene 7. The final boss of the invasion of Gregol’s Cathedral. Selaha, Princess of Frost.
A scenario that becomes the starting point where Crepin’s true nature is revealed to the world and the Ross-Taylor family begins to collapse in earnest.
He is a person who symbolizes that the end of the Ross Taylor family is slowly approaching.
“I don’t need to talk about Fenia in detail. She is my precious blood relative, so I don’t want to say anything bad about her. However, if you have been close to her, Confucius would know well. She thinks too much… to be an emperor. .”
When I saw Selaha in my room, I was sure. The story was steadily entering its fourth act.
It was at this point that it became clear that the final battle of Act 3, the battle against Lucy, had been omitted.
The story has been twisted enough so far, but now it’s reached a point where it’s difficult to guess anything even remotely similar.
Is this really okay?
The image of the final scene of Act 3 of ‘Sylvania’s Failed Swordsman’ flashed in my mind again.
This is Lucy looking up at the sky in the rain at the top of the mountain. Only at the end of the third act did she shake off all the burden that had been holding her back.
As always, twists give rise to new twists.
Tailie’s growth is surprisingly fast, but at this point, as the boss fight in Act 3 has been completely skipped… I don’t know if I can play Acts 4 and 5 normally.
The final boss of Act 4 is Crepin Rothtaylor, who wields the power of evil gods, and the final boss of Act 5 is Belbroke, the Holy Spear Dragon who eats gods. I wonder if the current Tailley can overpower those two… Now I can’t help but shake my head.
It was the end of a scenario that seemed far away, but the story has already reached the turning point and the end is fast approaching. At this point, when we are more than halfway through the race, if we remain idle, a really big disaster could occur.
That fact once again instills a new sense of pressure in my heart.
“Stick to me. This is just a suggestion from me to Confucius, but it will be a great opportunity for him.”
Selaha flicked his thin fingers a few times and then held out his hand to me.
The royal family rarely shakes hands. At most, five or six times a year.
This is because there are almost no people in this empire who can make eye contact and exchange hands on an equal footing with the royal family.
Therefore, allowing a handshake was an expression of maximum respect on Selaha’s part.
“How dare I touch the First Princess’s hand with my lowly hands? Although I am a member of the Rosstaylor family, I cannot touch that precious body.”
“Haha, that sounds good. If that’s the case, it doesn’t matter if you say it orally…”
After saying that, Selaha was speechless.
When he saw me kneeling on one knee and not even moving, his eyebrows trembled slightly.
“…You rejected it.”
“I just respected its dignity.”
“Fenia has no intention of becoming the emperor. However, as for me, she is very ambitious.”
Did they tell you to get off the sinking ship?
However, I know very well that the ship that will sink is Selaha, not Fenia.
“Confucius’ father, Lord Crepin, will also take my side, so Confucius under him will also have to choose wisely.”
Selaha, the Princess of Frost, cooperates with Crepin’s plan and obtains the power of the evil spirit, but in the end, she is unable to fully control that power and is eaten alive by Mebula.
Among the characters in Act 4, his words are the most terrible.
“As Princess Selaha said, Princess Fenia has no intention of becoming the emperor right now. Although it is literally just for now.”
“Do you think that child will be suitable for the position of emperor?”
“In times of peace like now, we need a virtuous person like Princess Fenia.”
However, you cannot confidently say, ‘I know your future, but your words are terrible, so I will not take your side.’
In the end, I had no choice but to come up with another excuse to get out, and there must have been a letter I brought… There is no other excuse more appropriate than Fenia.
“I have no doubt that Princess Fenia will become an emperor worthy of that position. Even if she says she has no intention of becoming emperor right now, I will just silently trust and wait for Princess Fenia.”
“Ha… I don’t know what happened in Sylvania, but I’m surprised that Confucius supported that kid so much.”
I had planned to take it all in once I got angry, but to my surprise, Selaha turned her bluish eyes straight at me and smiled softly.
“Your mouth is watering.”
“yes?”
“To put it bluntly, I enjoy looting.”
It was Yenika who responded to those words. He was shaking his shoulders and looking at Selaha’s face and mine in turn. He looked like a frightened rodent, and I almost felt sympathy for him.
I looked at Yenika and shook my head. First of all, I was told to stay still.
“I’m not sure what you meant.”
“In general, loyalty is the most beautiful thing when it is broken. I want to see how far Confucius’ faith in Fenia will go.”
Selaha is completely mistaken.
The reason I spoke out in support of Fenia was not because I truly support Fenia with all my heart and would follow in her footsteps… but simply for my own safety. First of all, I have absolutely no intention of sticking to Sellaha’s side.
“Well, we have a lot of time. This social gathering will last for five days… so feel free to fully feel how big the gap is between me and Fenia. If you change your mind, you can tell me at any time.”
“Thank you for your opinion.”
“It’s nice to see you showing courtesy to the end. How nice it would be to see that loyalty and discipline broken down. Well… it’s okay…”
Selaha stroked my cheek with his cold hand and showed a strangely vague smile. Even that smile is infinitely cold.
“It’s too easy to look at flowers blooming in a flower bed. People’s hearts are so treacherous that they pay more attention to the silver grass blooming on a cliff than to the roses in a flower bed.”
“This is an undeserved assessment.”
“Okay, I guess I’ll see you again.”
Saying that, Selaha flicked her hair a few times and left the room with a smile.
Her head deacon, Dest, was already waiting in front of the door.
* * *
“I feel bad when I think about it…!”
Yenika was pressing her skirt and getting angry.
I couldn’t get that angry in person, but after the situation was over, I thought, ‘Oh, I should have said that then.’ And regretting it… In fact, it is a behavior that is practically a trademark of timid people.
In reality, my cheeks were blushing at the mention of being in a romantic relationship, having a baby, etc. right in front of my nose… but when I look back on the past, my emotions change.
When you think about it, you feel bad? Come to think of it, you were ignored? uh? Are you feeling bad?
I understand that such gradation anger arises, but… unfortunately, getting angry at the First Princess will only hurt you.
“I’ve been at the top of my grade for a long time, and I’m not that weak, and I’m a commoner, but I shouldn’t have gotten angry because I’m not someone who deserves to be ignored…? No, but I’m the princess, so I can’t be angry… A little more subtly…? In an adult way…? I’m not that easy of a person either~ Should I have tried to do it in such a clever way? Like Lortel…?”
“Yenika…”
“But I’m not good at that kind of thing… But I think I stayed quiet while I was angry… Ugh… Ugh…!”
“Yenika, you’re not the kind of person to get angry about something like that in the first place.”
“But you keep being mean to Ed~!”
After speaking in a stream of consciousness, he started shaking and suddenly looked at me.
I took a deep breath and pushed the table towards the chair where Jenica was sitting. The table was pushed aside, and I could clearly see the cup of tea that the maid had made.
Yenica took a deep breath, sipped her tea, and fanned her face with her hand while subtly asking.
“But Princess Selaha is truly a beauty, isn’t she?”
“There are several servants who stick around all day, so they will take care of that.”
“I think you’re trying to get Ed to come in… What should I do…? If you keep refusing like that, aren’t you doing me harm?”
Yenika looked at me subtly as she said that. I felt like I was feeling a strange sense of anxiety, so I decided to talk about it clearly.
“I’m telling you, I will never fall for Princess Selaha.”
“Is it that much…? I didn’t know that Edgar supported Princess Fenia so much. It was the same during the student council president election…” “
That too… the reason is complicated.”
I decided to leave that behind and continue with what I was going to say earlier.
“So? Did you get any results from looking through the mansion?”
“Yes. It was a hassle because the mansion was so big, but… Mug asked for some information.”
“A mug?”
“I heard that a strangely large amount of magic power can be felt below Duke Crepin’s personal study. But… due to the structure of the mansion, the area below the study is the kitchen. It is impossible to feel such an enormous amount of magic power in the kitchen where the employees work.”
“…It’s definitely suspicious.”
The core purpose is to collect physical evidence that can accuse Crepin of his evil deeds. It won’t be easy to find irrefutable evidence, but I feel like I have some clues.
“I think it would be a good idea to go and see for yourself. But… that study is where Duke Crepin comes and goes all the time, and it always seems to be locked when it’s empty. I don’t think it will be easy to investigate.”
“Okay. First of all, we have five days, so let’s take our time and look for opportunities. I will attend the social event as faithfully as possible so as not to look suspicious.”
There is a lot of work to do in five days.
I must faithfully participate in the social club schedule and leave no room for suspicion about myself. I must find out what Crepin’s intentions are when he tries to reinstate me. I must also investigate the identity of the magic source located at the bottom of Crepin’s study. Letters should also be read as quickly as possible.
I haven’t even read half of the letters between Arwen and Ed yet. Since most of them were formal greetings, it was necessary to categorize them. There wasn’t enough time to understand the contents of the letter in the first place.
If I stay up all night like I did today, the users will think it’s strange, so I need to split my time more. It is important to never be suspected. Crepin will already be wary of me, so even the slightest anomaly will be immediately reported to him.
“The door will always be open, so if anything happens, you can come to my room and talk. It doesn’t matter at any time, day or night, so remember this location.”
“W here…? In Ed’s room…? Any time?”
Jenica blushed again and looked around at the view of my room. Then he lowered his head and nodded quickly.
“Oh, okay…”
The strange stammering was very unsettling.
* * *
The first night of Ross Taylor Social Church.
The social church schedule is the simplest on the first day.
As the schedule progresses little by little, the number of VIPs visiting increases and the venue moves to a larger venue.
It is a process of gradually building excitement ahead of the long five-day schedule. So, most of the first-day social church attendees do not feel excited, but rather feel like they are simply taking a break in anticipation of the upcoming event.
A neatly prepared dinner and a band playing quiet music in the first floor lobby of the mansion. And nobles clinking wine glasses between tables.
Here and there, sounds of chatting, laughing, and lightly asking for a dance could be heard.
The people already gathered in the lobby were full of nobles who were famous in my territory, but even they did not carelessly try to become the center of the room.
Even though it is only the first day, quite a few famous people have come.
In particular, a lot of border nobles were gathered around Margrave Zahoor, who had a plump figure and was dressed stylishly.
He was so favored by Emperor Cloel that he single-handedly managed a large granary area at the southern tip of the empire.
Several conversations took place for a while, centered around Margrave Zahoor, and soon the atmosphere had reached a certain level.
Selaha, the Princess of Frost, parted the crowd and entered. There was a cold silence among the audience.
Selaha, neatly dressed in a pure white dress, was so beautiful that everyone from young nobles to elderly wealthy people clicked their tongues in admiration.
She breaks through the crowd and walks to the center with an elegant yet confident grace. But no one was allowed to speak first.
A half-baked nobleman or something like that is not someone you can talk to. The opponent is the royal family.
However, since it was impossible to leave such a noble guest alone, it was necessary for someone worthy of the rank to carry the gun.
But who can deal with Selaha, the Princess of Frost? It’s still the first day, so the VIPs haven’t even arrived yet, but even though I’ve tried to narrow down the people who could be worthy partners, I’m not very satisfied.
“Hello, Princess Selaha. It is an honor to meet you like this.”
At that time, Tanya, who was chatting with nobles in a corner of the lobby, came out through the crowd.
Tanya, dressed beautifully in a neat frilly dress, gently raised the hem of both skirts and bowed her head politely.
“My name is Tanya Rosstaylor, the current heir to the Rosstaylor family.”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you. I’m already on my way back from meeting the Confucius in the afternoon, but I also get to see the princess… She’s definitely dependable. I’m sure the Ross Taylor family’s glory will last for at least a few decades.”
“Thank you for your kind comments. However, since it is only the first day, I apologize for the small size of the venue.”
“Well, I don’t know about the social club hosted by Ross Taylor Mansion. I’ve heard rumors that it gets bigger the further you go, and since I came too early in the first place, you don’t have to worry too much about it.”
Selaha smiled and looked around.
To the average person, this alone may seem like a splendid luxury, but it is certainly small in scale for a dinner presented to such a large group of distinguished guests.
This would also be to adjust the tempo for later events, so Selaha happily accepted it.
– ‘Is that boy? The old successor who is being reinstated this time.’
― ‘Definitely… I have a bit of a strong impression. But it looks like your physique has grown a bit bigger than before.’
– ‘I think I’ve become much smarter. You really seem like a completely different person.’
At that time, a murmur was heard from the audience. Because Ed Rosstaylor entered.
I couldn’t enter this place without making a fuss, leaving Selaha, the most noble girl, behind.
He attended the dinner quietly, simply standing next to Crepin and chatting with him.
However, it is inevitable that the public’s attention will be focused for a moment.
Looking at the blonde hair neatly pulled back, the impression is completely different from usual.
The well-dressed brown banquet jacket has gold stripes here and there. The fit was perfect and he looked slim, but if you look closely, his shoulders were quite large and he was taller than expected, a typical handsome man.
‘Wow, your impression definitely changes when you dress up.’
Selaha grinned and clinked glasses with Tanya.
“You have a good brother.”
“Yes, I am proud of you.”
Selaha thought it was an empty remark, but Tanya Tan was quite sincere.
“Yes, this will be a great opportunity for him. I hope he learns a lot.”
Selaha smiled as he carefully brought the glass to his mouth.
Anyway, there aren’t many VIPs on the first day. In Selaha’s eyes, the only person to be trampled on is Senir Bloomriver.
Sinir also doesn’t have much contact with the Rosstaylor family, so it feels like his attention is focused on Selaha.
That’s pretty much the extent of my interest in Ed Ross-Taylor. Selaha sipped his glass and was lost in thought.
Considering it was a first-day banquet, it was simple in scale and there were no events large enough to stand out. It’s still just a preliminary battle.
If big names start to flock after tonight, even Selaha will be busy without a second’s notice.
In some ways, today will be the last day to purely enjoy a banquet.
Thinking about that, the food tasted even better, and Selaha spent some time intoxicated by the atmosphere of the banquet.
* * *
Morning of the second day of social church.
After breakfast, it was time for the morning sun to slowly clear the fog.
The banquet held the night before ended quite early. It was just a time to get to know each other and get to know each other.
Visitors rest in their assigned rooms in the morning, enjoy some refreshments in the garden or on the hill near the rooftop of the mansion in the afternoon, and then attend the next banquet after dinner.
The natural environment of Ross Taylor Estate is so beautiful and gentle that you can feel your mind being healed just by walking around.
So, even though the schedule was somewhat loose, each visitor was able to spend time and relax in their own way.
The users may be busy and hectic, but since it is an annual event, it feels like they are coping quite well.
The busiest among them was, of course, the head of the family, Crepin Rosstaylor.
Every time a famous guest entered the mansion, he had to personally go out and welcome them.
A number of lesser nobles would not even be able to see Crepin’s face, but there were certainly some distinguished guests who should not have been able to do so.
Selaha, Princess of Frost, was like this, Margrave Ja’hur was like that, and so was Senir Bloomriver.
However, the distinguished guests who arrived on the morning of the second day were so noble that not only Crepin but also Ed and Tanya had to be dragged out and lined up.
It seems unrealistic to say that the most powerful person on the continent, the head of the Rosstaylor family, is the one who must bring out all of his immediate descendants to welcome him.
However, when the front door of the mansion, which is made of iron bars, opens and you see the majestic, huge carriage, it feels real.
Ed had already seen that carriage.
―Keeping together.
The carriage stopped and the band started playing music. It looks like a military general is on his way.
One of the carriage drivers quickly jumped off the driver’s seat, climbed the stairs leading to the carriage door, and politely opened the door. Then, from inside, Archbishop Samuel, dressed in holy clothes, appeared first.
He was a man with a slim appearance and a slightly gloomy appearance, but he seemed hesitant as he was guided by the servant, as if he was not very used to this type of situation.
He is the new archbishop who succeeded Verdio, the original archbishop, after he was excommunicated. He is still unfamiliar with the position of archbishop.
Archbishop Samuel came down the steps of the carriage, and the real guest of honor appeared inside the door.
– ‘Oh oh.’
― ‘That person…!’
― ‘This is my first time seeing poetry in real life…!’
Whispers could be heard among the workers. If it had been heard by me, it would have also been heard by Crepin standing next to me. It was a big mistake, but Crepin did not yell right away considering the atmosphere of the scene.
The majesty of the person who got down from the carriage was so amazing that even veteran users made such a beginner’s mistake.
Although he is small in stature, the divine elegance that flows through his body is hard to come by.
A neatly dressed, dress-like robe gently wraps around the body, and hair as white as the robe wraps around the shoulders. Although she is a pure white girl, her eyes full of presence and the butterfly pin on one side of her head are infinitely red, making her look like a rose blooming alone in a snowy field.
From the top of Saint Cloeron, Saint Clarice, who represents God’s will, safely comes down to earth.
“It must have been a long journey, but I am so honored that you came to visit me like this, Clarisse.”
“It’s been a while, Lord Crepin. I’m glad to see you’re in better health.”
So Clarisse said hello to Crepin.
Then he turned his gaze towards me and Tanya.
“This is my official successor, Tanya Rosstaylor, and her son, Ed Rosstaylor, who has been reinstated to this society. I heard that the saint is also a student at Sylvania. It must be a good idea.”
“Yes. Miss Tanya is the proud student council president, and senior Ed is also a senior I respect.”
Senior Ed.
Clarice, a saint, treats Ed with honor, even calling him Sir.
Although he didn’t show it as much as possible, just that title gave off a strange sense of discomfort to the audience.
Clarisse grinned and walked past Crepin to Tanya and shook her hand.
“Stand, Lady….”
“Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Tanya, for always working hard as the student council president. I am always watching over you.”
“Thank you…”
You might think that saying that I am always watching over you is something a saint would say out of courtesy, but it is actually true.
Of course… Tanya, who had no way of knowing that fact, simply greeted the saint with a look of reverence.
Clarice smiled like that and then came over to me and shook my hand.
“It feels special to meet you at your home like this. It feels romantic, as if we met by chance on a faraway travel destination.”
“It is an honour.”
“It is an honor. I am the honor.”
I said that and quietly waited for the handshake to end.
It’s not polite to push away a superior’s handshake first, so I waited quietly for him to loosen his hand, but… Clarice instead raised her other hand and held my hand, looking at me with sparkling eyes as if stars were falling. You are watching.
“….”
“….”
Like that, Clarisse held my hand tightly and made eye contact with me for a long time, not paying attention to the people around her.
As the murmur spread, the gap between the eyes of Crepin and Tanya, who were staring at me, began to narrow little by little.
Day 2 of social church.
It was already starting to get noisy, so my spine started to heat up little by little.
