Chapter 158
Twins
If I were to point out one very obvious fact, it was that there were also won in this world who did not feel any affection toward Aiden.
At the very least, Elena Ba Del considered herself firmly among that category.
“That’s what people tend to think.”
“…Pardon?”
As I sat in the reception room waiting, Katya, who was seated beside , casually added that remark.
Perhaps she was thoroughly benefiting from the sensory suppressant Aiden had given her earlier, because compared to before, she seed far more composed and capable of holding onto her reason while speaking.
“In my view, the classification itself is wrong.”
“What do you an by that…?”
“You shouldn’t divide people into those who have feelings for him and those who don’t. You should divide them into those who’ve had contact with him and those who haven’t.”
“…….”
“If they’ve had contact with him even once, well.”
…She was talking about him as if he were so plague lord spreading an incurable disease.
But seeing Katya, seated right next to , burning docunts with holy power in such a fearso manner made it hard to raise any objections.
Watching the stacks of paper vanish completely without leaving even drifting ashes behind, it was obvious that the task was filled to the brim with emotion.
Well, that was understandable.
All of this consisted of requests that had poured in from across the Empire, asking to arrange even a single dinner eting with Aiden Kellermain.
…Every last one of them had heard the rumors that this man had quite the fondness for won and were scheming to mobilize all their connections to attach soone to him.
“…….”
No, in fact, what was truly frightening was this:
Among them were people who, without inserting any political maneuvering or calculating gains and losses, had attached letters driven purely by curiosity or goodwill toward Aiden Kellermain—and in so cases, sentints close to romantic longing despite having never even seen his face.
It was often young ladies of the Empire who were easily swept up by rumors who did such things.
‘…The stimulus is rather strong.’
A young talent who had appeared like a cot and secured the position of Lionhearted’s consort.
Handso, with no notable scandals to his na thus far.
In particular, he had even rushed at a Direct Imperial Prince, the rightful heir to the throne, to protect his own fiancée—and now he had gone so far as to travel abroad and elevate his reputation even further.
With hardly any social contact and possessing every kind of romantic fantasy imaginable about n, it was the perfect kind of background to draw their attention all at once.
Was there not the example of Princess Milene, who had run all the way here from the Holy Crown Kingdom for the sake of that one man alone…?
“So from what I see, I think you’re the sa.”
“…….”
“Honestly, you didn’t really need to follow the priestess of the Tribal Alliance, did you? That was all a sign—”
“…No, not really.”
So while I could understand why Katya reacted that way, I was at least in a position to answer such a question firmly.
Well.
Rather than feeling any particular charm from that man, I was simply probing him for now because I was worried about the safety of my close friend, Noel.
She was a friend who had achieved trendous things socially. It would not do for her to get caught by so viper-like man.
“…So even if you say sothing like that to —”
“Then what was the result of your assessnt?”
“…….”
“Have you figured out for sure whether he’s a viper or not?”
“…….”
Well.
Instead of baring venomous fangs, I rembered him protecting when soone had tried to pull those fangs out of .
“…I think I need to observe a little longer.”
…So I had no choice but to answer that way, but the mont she heard it, Katya twisted the corner of her lips as if in disbelief, and that inevitably irritated .
Ah, yes. Of course. That expression that seed to say, Everyone’s like that at first—
“No, really. In the first place, once we part ways here, there probably won’t be much reason for us to get entangled again in the future—”
As I was saying that, my mouth snapped shut.
Rania was striding into the reception room, Aiden in tow.
Speak of the devil.
“Let’s go back. He’s coming with us.”
What was embedded in the following sentence was an order so simple that even a tiger would be shaken to its core.
“…Pardon?”
“I’ve already received permission from the Emperor and Lionhearted. It’s urgent business, so we’ll be taking custody of him through the Tribal Alliance as is.”
I didn’t know what the urgent matter was, but if both the Emperor and Lionhearted had acknowledged it at the sa ti, then it was undoubtedly serious. Katya must have thought the sa, because her expression turned grave at once.
“I’d like you to guide him.”
…Though the mont she heard the next sentence, that gravity nearly shifted into sothing feral.
I, too, asked back with a stiffened expression.
“Once I return to the Alliance, I’ll be busy preparing for the ritual, so I’d like you to take full charge of assisting him in the anti.”
“…….”
Sohow.
It was clearly not a proposal that either I or Aiden found particularly welco.
“Ah, damn it.”
“…What’s wrong, Katya?”
“I should’ve tried sothing similar when you ca to the Holy Crown Kingdom.”
“…….”
I was too afraid to even ask what on earth she ant by that.
▣
Unlike when we had previously crossed between the Empire and the Holy Crown Kingdom, entering the Tribal Alliance offered only two thods instead of trains or other magical ans.
On foot, or by carriage.
“…Why are we doing this?”
Katya, who had followed along, asked sulkily.
With her senses having returned and still being suppressed by the inhibitor, the carriage—rattling this way and that and delivering every kind of stimulus—seed difficult for her to endure. Her face had already turned pale….
“The tribes revere pure strength over technology.”
Elena, who had been maintaining a sulky expression the entire ti beside Aiden, replied calmly.
“Combat-related techniques within are constantly evolving, but they are most wary of relying on tools and devices in ways that weaken one’s own training.”
“Then shouldn’t we not even be riding in a carriage?”
“Crossing the roads of the Tribal Alliance by carriage is itself training.”
“…….”
As for why that was, Katya herself was currently experiencing the brutal vibrations inside the carriage firsthand.
While she pressed her lips tightly together and silently cursed the inflexible rigidity of the Tribal Alliance—
Elena’s eyes were, without her realizing it, repeatedly glancing sideways at Aiden seated right next to her.
‘…Hm.’
To be honest, he looked like he wasn’t thinking about anything at all.
Even though sothing rather significant had happened in front of Noel before, there was not the slightest sign that he felt regret about it or harbored any particular emotions toward her.
‘…….’
And that irritated imnsely.
He wasn’t thinking about it at all, yet it made it seem as though I alone was going through emotional ups and downs for no reason.
‘…Then I just won’t care either.’
If there was sothing that bothered , it was probably the fact that I had already made that sa resolution three tis.
anwhile, as for Aiden—
‘…Why are there two?’
In truth, that was the only question that had been troubling my mind since earlier.
The internal circumstances of the Tribal Alliance and how things would ultimately develop—those were all fine.
But why, in the vision I saw back then, were there two people who looked like Rania?
‘Judging from the situation.’
…It felt sowhat awkward to say this myself, but the vision I had seen back then was clearly a list of people whose Affection Level toward could develop to the maximum.
Noel had been there, and then Katya, who had appeared afterward, as well.
But it was already unsettling enough that Rania had been included—so why were there two?
‘A doppelgänger?’
…There had been no reports of such an entity on the continent, but if I had to think of the most plausible scenario, that was the only one that ca to mind.
Rania’s closest blood relative… as far as I knew, there was exactly one.
Among the priestesses, there was her biological older sister, the one who always gave Rania headaches.
…In many ways, she was an absolutely maddening character.
The person who would take on the role of the main character in Act III.
Originally, I had known that Rania herself had not even been assigned a role beyond that of a re supporting aide for that side.
So if it had been that side appearing together with Rania, I could at least have accepted it—but why were there two Rania alone?
Where had Rania’s original older sister gone?
‘…Sothing’s already twisted again.’
Well.
If I assud the worst-case scenario, it was even possible that her role had been completely “erased,” with Rania replacing her instead.
Sohow, she should have shown her face at least once by now, and the fact that only Rania had continued to make contact with might itself have been foreshadowing.
“…….”
With a serious expression, I began searching through every possible scenario.
Trying to determine what the most severe worst-case possibility might be.
And then.
Compared to that deep contemplation, the answer to my question ca rather quickly.
Mainly because of the sight that ca into view the mont our carriage crossed the slope and entered the territory of the Tribal Alliance.
“…What is that?”
Before Elena could even begin her arrival briefing, I found myself asking that question upon spotting a massive statue visible even from far beyond the entrance to the territory.
It was a statue of two girls standing side by side.
And because it was so enormous, their distinct features were clearly visible at a glance, making it easy to recognize what it depicted.
Which ant I imdiately knew who it portrayed.
“Isn’t that a statue of the priestesses?”
“…It doesn’t seem that strange to have statues of religious leaders who directly communicate with the gods.”
“No, I get that.”
Looking back and forth between the two identical faces, I frowned and continued.
“Why are there two statues of the priestess?”
This made it look exactly like the scene I had seen in that vision not long ago.
The mind that had been calculating possibilities until now began spinning even more fiercely.
That had to carry so deep religious significance. Perhaps it would heavily affect the main scenario—
“They’re twin priestesses.”
Before my line of doubt could continue any further, Elena tossed out that answer flatly.
As if she had no idea what nonsense I was going on about.
“…….”
“The twin priestesses of the Tribal Alliance are quite famous figures. You didn’t know that?”
“…Twins?”
“Yes.”
“Not just sisters?”
“Even if they’re twins, there’s still an older and younger one. What kind of question is that?”
“…….”
Well.
That was true.
Letting out a hollow laugh, I conceded to Elena’s words.
Ah.
They were twin sisters?
Then what that vision ant was—
‘…Then am I going to seduce both twins?’
That chilling conclusion slid down my spine.
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