Chapter 97

Thanks to everyone, I've won the [Net Novel Award] and will be publishing a book with Futaba-sha.

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I'll translate the main text now:

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Thanks to Nanami's words and actions, which were supposed to seduce and kidnap me, I was able to realize that I was in a dream. Although things didn't work out well with the real Nanami, thinking that there might have been a future like this made me feel that life on Earth wasn't so bad.

It's not something I can fully approve of, but I'm almost grateful to the Third Consort.

Though it's not a perfect substitute, I'll try to keep my promise to Nanami and listen to her story.

"It might take a while, but would you like to hear it? There's no way to stop you now, and besides..."

The Third Consort paused mid-sentence and stared at my face. Is there something on my face?

"Besides?"

"Hehe, I don't know why, but I feel like something will progress if I tell you."

Oof... I feel like she has some abnormal expectations, but it's probably better not to touch on that.

"If I can be of any help, I'll do my best."

Still, it would be rude to listen without tea and snacks, so I'll serve some tea and cookies. I hope this will help her relax and talk more freely.

"Oh, delicious tea and sweets... Even though you're still a child, you can be considerate. You're quite a gentleman, aren't you? Well, shall I start telling you now?"

It's still evening, so I have plenty of time. I'll listen carefully. ...Still, this see-through babydoll is really distracting...

"First, let me start with my true identity. As you guessed, I was part of the Cult of the Evil Deity."

...Was? So it's in the past tense?

"Hehe, you're sharp. Just as you thought, I'm no longer part of the Cult of the Evil Deity. I was able to leave the cult because you captured most of its members. Originally, the cult sent me here to take over the empire. But now, that's meaningless... Is that okay so far?"

No, there's too much information to process...?! I guess I'll have to ask questions one by one.

"First, when you say the Cult of the Evil Deity was planning to take over the empire, does that mean they were trying to control the royal family using Lady Lucretia's abilities?"

"Yes, my blessing is a bit special. I can control people, but with certain limitations. The cult's plan was to use this to make puppets out of the royal family."

"The blessing you mentioned is the dream I saw earlier. What are the limitations?"

"That's right. ...The limitation is that I can't directly kill anyone. Apparently, it's not uncommon for powerful blessings to have limitations."

Limitations... I've never heard of them before. There's still a lot to learn about awakenings, limitations, and the evolution of blessings that the chancellor demonstrated. If I delve deeper, maybe my blessing could change as well?

"Next, when you say you left the cult, what exactly happened?"

"That's part of the story I'll tell you, but to put it simply, I wasn't very interested in the cult itself."

Hmm, now that I think about it, Professor Monica said something similar. She talked about intellectual curiosity, but it seems this person also had some intention for joining the cult.

"...So, you had some other intention?"

"That's right. ...But before I tell you that, let me share something the cult members were told. We were told that if the Evil Deity were to be resurrected, each of us would have one wish granted. I didn't care about the Evil Deity, but I had a wish I wanted to fulfill."

A wish I had to fulfill no matter what. I can somewhat understand the feeling. There are wishes that are irreplaceable.

"...This is something no one knows, but I had a husband before I married the emperor. My husband and I were originally from a remote village in the empire, and we lived happily despite our poverty. However, that happiness didn't last. One day, a massive monster rampage occurred near our village."

A monster rampage... That's probably the same kind of stampede that happened in my village.

"You mean the stampede?"

"Yes. My husband was the leader of the village patrol, and he fought desperately to help everyone escape, but he died..."

It's a harsh way to put it, but it's not an uncommon story in this world.

"...He was a brave husband."

"He was my pride... I was devastated, but I had a child to raise, so I had to be strong."

A mother's strength, huh? In any world, at any time, a mother can become strong for her child. ...Wait, she said she had a child? Where is that child now?

"---!!"

"You noticed. After losing the breadwinner of the family, my life became hell. At first, the villagers praised my husband and helped me a lot. ...But after a few months, it was as if nothing had happened. I found it increasingly difficult to survive. There was no demand for a woman with a child in a remote village... When I sought help from the lord who governed the village, he ignored me."

Some lords might provide some assistance, but it would be minimal. The lord in the Third Consort's area probably did his job, for better or worse. If he had given special treatment to one person, everyone else might have come knocking. Still, there might have been a better way...

"Eventually, I was shunned by the village and struggled to find food. I tried to work and came to the capital. I worked late nights at a bar and cleaned in the mornings. ...I managed to eat one meal a day, but it wasn't enough for my growing child... He always said, 'Good luck at work' and saw me off, even though he was so hungry he could barely stand. ...When I came home after work on his birthday, my child, who was supposed to greet me, wasn't there. When I looked at the bed, he was lying there as if he were sleeping... but he was dead..."

Starvation, huh...

"From then on, I gave up on living and became a wreck. I walked into a forest infested with monsters, ready to die, when I met a man. He told me that if I joined the Cult of the Evil Deity and helped resurrect the Evil Deity, I would have one wish granted. Honestly, I didn't believe it, but even a small chance was enough for me. I vowed to do anything to make it happen."

So, you got close to the royal family to take over... But how did a commoner with no backing become an imperial consort? There must have been some backing, right?

"How did you get close to the emperor?"

"It was simple. I heard that the second son often visited the commoner district, so I used my blessing to make him introduce me to the emperor. I just showed the emperor a dream. ...The hardest part was learning manners and etiquette. I made the head maid teach me by controlling her. Fortunately, there was some resistance when the emperor welcomed me, but he silenced them. After that, I just had to show him dreams to keep him quiet."

...She makes it sound easy, but one mistake could have meant immediate execution. She must have been walking a tightrope the whole time.

"...I understand the general idea."

"Even though I've done all this, I don't really agree with what the Cult of the Evil Deity is doing. It was just the only means I had. ...But that means is gone now."

That's because I destroyed most of the cult. If I had managed to seize the book from Luina Ednent, it might have been possible to resurrect the Evil Deity.

"...Regardless of the circumstances, I can't apologize. I don't think what I did was wrong."

"You're right. Everyone has their own reasons. I just lost to my own desires. ...I no longer have any attachment to a world without that person and my child."

What I did should have saved many people. But because of my actions, there are also people who couldn't be saved. ...I feel like I've learned something important. I can't save everyone, and I don't have such a presumptuous idea.

But I want to help those I know. Nanami has a wish, and now that I know, I can't just leave it.

I haven't decided yet, but I plan to search for the sealing grounds to free Inagi. I can't make a judgment now, but if I succeed in freeing Inagi, maybe I can grant one wish.

If I fail, it will be a crushing disappointment, but there's still a possibility. It would be a waste to give up.

"...Maybe, there's a way."

"Stop it. I don't want to hear that anymore!"

"Lucretia, just one more time. Please trust me this time."

"...Your eyes are just like my daughter's. Pure and beautiful. She had such beautiful eyes. ...If there's even a small chance, I'll try a little harder."

Good. But if she loses her status as a royal, it will be a big problem... I'll have to ask Grandpa and Lily for help. After all, it's the empire's fault for not providing assistance. Yeah, I'll just be straightforward about it.

"Thank you. Oh, and there's one more thing I need to confirm."

"What is it?"

This is something I need to confirm.

"Did you incite the thief in the bar to attack us and put out assassination orders on us and Lily through the Dark Guild? If you know anything about the Dark Guild, please tell me in detail."

The testimonies I got from the Dark Guild's assassins and thieves all pointed to the Third Consort. If I can learn more about the Dark Guild, it will be a big step forward.

"...? What are you talking about? I do control the royal family with dreams, but that's all. Besides, the Third Consort can't just go to a bar. And the Dark Guild is on bad terms with us, the Cult of the Evil Deity."

"Eh...?"

The words from the Third Consort completely shattered my assumptions.

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I'll update this slowly.

I'd be happy if you could rate, bookmark, etc.

Thanks to everyone, I've won the [Net Novel Award] and will be publishing a book with Futaba-sha.