Lazy Salvation The Assembly's Favorite Actress

Several people in the room had been present at the last Assembly.

They rembered that voice and its precision as it moved through an argunt without appearing to move at all, setting the terrain and letting the audience arrive at her conclusion on their own, so their expectations were high, to say the least.

What they got was different.

Lucia walked to the center of the chamber and stood there for a mont without speaking. She looked, to anyone watching, like she was holding sothing back.

When she spoke, her voice was quieter than they rembered.

"Greetings, Lords and Ladies," she said. "I will be honest with you. I considered many tis the best way to stand before this gathering and make this case. The most persuasive structure. The most precise framing. The kind of address that leaves no room for refusal."

She paused.

"In the end, I decided to simply tell you what I have seen."

Her eyes moved across the room.

"I will not bore you by recounting the atrocities of the monsters. How they kill, rape, plunder, and burn everything in their way. I'm sure your desks are already full of every kind of tragedy in the form of the countless reports you receive every day."

"Instead, I will tell you what I saw beyond that."

"Everyone."

"I have seen humanity's eventual demise."

"I have seen the sa fate that befell Pride, and is now befalling Wrath, co for the rest of our territory in due ti."

The crowd stirred when she spoke such blasphemous words, even though the majority of the spectators' fear stemd from this very sa vision.

Lucia continued on unimpeded.

"Today, I dare say what everyone fears even thinking about!"

"Yes, my lords and ladies. Humanity is at a crossroads! The monsters have left us with no choice but to consider the possibility of our extinction as they pushed us until our backs were against the wall."

"And looking at you all, content to be spectators even after hearing so much… after laying all the evidence before you…!"

"...leaves thinking that we will take the wrong road, and be on our way to hell."

"I don't understand… how could you stay silent…? Even now…"

"How could you!"

From the point of view of everyone else, it seed that Lucia, the one they had held in high esteem due to her steel nerves and slick tongue, had finally lost her composure and devolved into a screaming ss.

But even then, no one raised his voice to put a halt to her emotional outburst, because, despite the ssy delivery, the reason for it had touched a sore spot.

And that spot had stimulated a long-slumbering guilt and a sense of sha.

"Our n are dying in droves, our territories keep shrinking due to the corruption brought about by the fool beasts. How many widows has the atgrinder you call the frontline produced? How many orphans? How much pain and suffering…" The normally stoic woman's face had reddened all the way down to her neck as silent tears ran down her cheeks, making her eyes glisten.

"Day after day… year after year… we keep burying our soldiers. Thousands of them! Millions! And where are you?!"

"Sitting on thrones kept in place by the bones of your fellow humans, turning a blind eye to countless horrors… how could you!"

"Now, even when these sa horrors are right at your doorstep, you dare still pretend they don't exist?!"

"Madness! This is utter madness!!"

"Please, everyone! I implore you!" Lucia's knees seed almost to give in as she tumbled a step forward.

"Please wake up!"

"There is no salvation in sight if you do not fight for it yourselves! Are you waiting for a miracle plan that would magically solve all your fears? It exists not!!"

"There are no smart maneuvers or shrewd strategies. The plan is to simply rally everyone and strike back!"

The dead-silent crowd exploded once more, considering that her last words could be regarded as much more blasphemous than rely stating the possibility of their extinction to so.

"Pride has already fallen. Wrath is bleeding for every inch it still holds. Soon, Gluttony will hear the sa screams. Then Envy. Then Greed. And when Lust's turn cos, even if we want to, will we even be able to strike back?"

"Everyone… this is our last chance…"

Even as her tears dried and her voice hollowed, everyone could still feel the intense hope behind every sentence.

"...I beg you… mighty Sin Lords… do not let us be the sinners who dood our race because of cowardice…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Even our most ignorant people are crying in the streets, begging us… Will we really let them down? Will we let down the ancestors who safeguarded us for so long?"

"Lucia."

Finally, Cornelia's emotionless voice rang out.

"That's enough. Co back."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringent.

"Ah…" It was only then that Lucia seed to snap out of her trance.

"Yes," she bowed deeply. "I'm sorry for such an unsightly display. Lords."

As she ca back to Cornelia's side, the Sin Lords let out a deep sigh and addressed the room. "It seems that my subordinate was not up to the task. I shall do it instead."

Sweeping her gaze over the pondering looks of everyone, she almost let a smirk erge but fought to keep it.

"Based on all evidence collected, it is almost certain that the Narkals will strike back in full force soon. For that, the strategy we have designed is simple but effective. We will gather all our armies as well as every Sin Lord and strike back first."

"We will take the fight to them, and for once be at our full strength, unlike the last two tis."

"Preposterous!" Envy finally snapped. "How could we leave our territories and venture into unknown danger? Who would protect our Domains in our absence? And have you forgotten the Demi-Human Empire? Will they stay still when we leave our borders bare?"

However, despite his logical argunt, he did not get the support he was expecting. Instead, the majority of faces were filled with unmistakable sha, as well as deep resolve.

'No… don't tell …'

It was as he feared.

Their fervor had been stirred. The dormant fire that had lived as long as they witnessed their race be suffocated and murdered under the Narkals had finally been awakened.

It was not solely because of Lucia's speech. The sight of their people crying, raging, and rebelling for the past six months was the true motivator.

Of course, when a woman who was known for her stoicism broke down in such a manner, it was bound to light sothing in them. And when that sa woman was famous as a soothsayer, and she had just foretold the demise of them and everyone in their race, it only added another layer to make them change their stances.

"...My lord. Perhaps it is not wise to dismiss this plan so soon."

"...what did you say?"

"...I'm also of the sa view, my lord."

"I must confess that I also share the sentint."

And so, the sight of the nobles of the sa Sin Lord contradicting their own king and backer was born.

Cornelia struck when the iron was hot.

"About the Demi-Human Empire, they have the sa problem as us, no? The Narkals are pests known to every intelligent creature on Seravelle after all."

"We could simply rope them into our plan, or at least, have their word that they would not strike us in the back."

"I already have a delegation of demihumans present in my Domain anyhow," she finished with a shrug.

"That is wonderful, my lady!" another noble spoke. "Striking us back will only be a detrint to them anyhow. We share the burden of resisting the Narkals after all. They will only lose an additional layer of protection if we fall."

"Then what about the cultists?" Gluttony spoke. "If we gather all of our ard forces, won't they find it all too easy to strike us and cause chaos in our absence?"

"That may be so," Cornelia actually agreed, but then she added, "there will never be a day when cultists will vanish, however. Are you saying that we should never muster the courage to strike back at our foes?"

"That's not it… However—"

"Additionally. With the destruction of the Veiled Moon and the death of the Astrologer, the cultists are now at their weakest. If we don't strike now, will we have a better chance?"

So considered her words seriously, while others only thought of argunts to halt the devolving situation that was certainly heading in the direction of an all-out war, but it was clear who was winning and who was losing ground.

Soon, the argunts devolved into shouts and screams as people got more heated and passionate.

Throughout it all, Lucia watched with a distraught look that made people take pity whenever they cast their gaze her way.

Her dry tears and sad look were very effective in bringing sympathy.

What they didn't know… and would never know was her internal thoughts that were wildly contradictory to her outer appearance as she watched the eting devolve into a screaming match.

'Ah… C'est si bon — C'est si bon!'

'Scream for ~'

"---In the first place, how co no one is asking the war hero where he had been for the past year?"

'Argue louder! Good~'

"Ashen Hart’s territory is almost destroyed by the Narkals! How dare you bring this up?!"

It was a lie.

'...spread by our dear Sin Lord and little poor ~'

"---but the Narkals sotis have seasons when they attack aggressively and then back out. This could be one of them! There is no need to overreact!"

'Pfft. Ahh~~~ I'm such a sinful woman.'

"What cowardly words! Why don't you move to the Wrath Domain and fight with us? Let see you repeat those words after the Narkals tear an additional hole in your posterior!"

'Now that the commoners are raging below, and the nobles are clamoring above, let see how you can still not move your heavy asses and do as my darling wants,'

'Now then, obediently accept my appeal.'

She fought the urge to grin with supernatural control, then cast a secret glance at her 'darling.'

The man himself appeared to be in the sa fervor as everyone, sotis arguing, and other tis looking deeply frustrated.

'Hmm… has my performance gotten to even you, love? How cute.'

She had vaguely noticed the strange trembling of his lips, however. But in the end, she attributed it to losing control of his emotions.

She was wrong.

Ashen, just like her, was fighting the sa massive urge not to recoil in uncontrollable laughter. He even wanted to stand up and perform an ovation for her.

After all, how could he not know his own woman? How could he not know how apathetically she thought of everyone and everything beyond her imdiate safety?

She had lived her whole life lying, conning, and performing to ensure her protection. Humanity? Soldiers dying? Children weeping? Who cares about any of that crap? All she cares about is herself.

Oh, and also him, now that he put his dick in her.

Of course, recently she had started to llow out and consider his family and her fellow sisters in that extrely small circle where she cared, but still.

Ashen knew for sure that her heart would not move an inch even if she saw all of Seravelle burn, as long as she, he, and his family remained secure.

And now, seeing the Sin Lords stamr like a bunch of blind people, nobles and lords and everything… all because of her 'passionate' 'emotional' 'breakdown'...

How could Ashen's reaction be anything but wanting to burst out in laughter?

Sadly, he had an image to maintain.

Soone else did not have such worries, though…

{Hahahahahahaha… what a circus!}

'At least one of us is having a blast…' Ashen grumbled as he heard his old twin's wild laughter.

{Oh, what a regret that I did not have the pleasure of having her as my woman in the first tiline… thankfully, that regret is resolved in this tiline.}

Only now did Ashen rember that he had gone with Roland in the first tiline. The thought that he almost did the sa in this one made him involuntarily shiver.

'Almost fucked up grandly there. Thanks for stopping back then…'

{Ah, I'm almost as thankful to myself. Do not fret. Haah…}

"Please, stop. Does no one else feel dizzy? This lady feels faint. No one here is willing to lend an ear to another. When words go unheard, conversation cannot be shared. When conversation cannot be shared, hearts cannot co together. When hearts cannot co together, understanding cannot flow. And when understanding ceases to flow, everything becos stagnant.

Tell , what sort of place is this? It is suffocating."

The Mistress of Lust spoke at last, putting the circus to a halt.

'Ah, Mademoiselle — you are too late, quite unfortunately~' Lucia looked at her with pity and an unhealthy amount of schadenfreude.

"Alright, folks, why don't we take a break?" When the Sloth Lord spoke, everyone had to obey.

And just like that, the eting was adjourned, and what was expected to be a one-day Assembly turned into a three-day gathering.