LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 13 - It's a Showdown
Chapter 13
It’s a Showdown
『 Translator – Divinity 』
——
「Title: So is this Legardium King a psychopath or what?
–He’s harsh to his daughter, and then when she actually leaves, he throws a fit. What’s his deal?
┗Sir, even if you ask us that…
┗It’s just a tutorial stage anyway, who cares?
┗Yeah, just grab some starting items and opportunities lol」
「Title: You know why the king in the post above is like that?
–As far as I know, his wife died early due to some incident. And then he has a daughter who looks just like his wife? But she’s younger?
┗Just leave, dude lol
┗Oh lol
┗Please just die. Please…
┗So the reason he’s so harsh is because he’s fighting his last remaining conscience?
┗Oh….
┗What oh, you fucker lol」
——
The next morning.
For some reason, I woke up feeling refreshed and have been awake since dawn.
Perhaps because it’s a royal palace, the view from the window was truly picturesque.
‘Should we build a palace too while we’re at it?’
There is a building similar to a palace on the religious order’s grounds, but…
Just then, my shadow cast on the floor suddenly wriggled.
“…Huh?”
I looked again, thinking I had seen wrong, and it really was wriggling as if it were alive.
What the hell.
I almost poured divine power into it, but I managed to regain my composure and started to observe the situation.
Rustle.
The wriggling shadow suddenly stopped, then gradually took shape.
The first thing I saw was a pair of red eyes. And then a slender figure in a neat nun’s habit.
It was our Belladis.
“…Bella?”
“Father God, was your sleep uncomfortable…?”
She popped out of my shadow as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and naturally asked about the quality of my sleep.
“No, I just woke up… But.”
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked her.
“Since when have you been in there…?”
“Since the Lord God was in the bedroom, I’ve been… waiting.”
“…Why?”
“Because… I’m by your side…?”
Why are you asking the obvious?
Seeing that sentiment clearly displayed on her face, I had no choice but to accept it.
It hasn’t been long since I came to this world, but it seems like their constant worship is getting heavier by the day.
“…Hmm.”
Recalling last night’s recollection, the forgotten dizziness seems to be creeping back in.
The princess gained enlightenment.
Well, that’s good. I don’t care about that part.
The problem is, she keeps trying to get involved with our religious order.
If you try to get involved with the princess, you incur the wrath of the psychopath king above her.
And then what?
From then on, you’ll have a six-star fan meeting and be ostracized worldwide.
‘…Should I really turn everything upside down?’
But the opponent is Legardium.
It’s too renowned in the settings to be treated as just a tutorial helper nation.
-Your daughter gained enlightenment and is now half-crazy, but I won’t take responsibility, so deal with it yourself.
Then her father would laugh heartily and order his knights to risk their lives.
‘This is so annoying.’
I need to find a good excuse somehow.
As peacefully as possible, and without harming anyone.
‘If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come.’
Who would have known?
That the NPC that other users drooled over, wanting to recruit her by any means…
The NPC who had a notorious reputation for being unapproachable in the community…
Would be captured by a mere simulation—
‘This is bad.’
I needed to completely prevent the religious order’s image from falling into ruin.
As I spent some time with Bella, the morning sun rose to a suitable position.
Knock. Knock.
It was around that time that I heard a knock on the door of our room.
Soon, a knight with a familiar appearance opened the door and entered.
It was the Knight Commander, ‘Ricardo Valtar.’
‘Is this uncle free these days?’
To think that the Knight Commander of a nation came all the way here to escort me… It feels strange.
Because I thought a maid or a butler would come.
‘Come to think of it, maybe not.’
My current status isn’t that of a guest, but a target of caution.
Since an incident could occur at any time, they might have carefully selected personnel.
“Shall we go?”
I greeted him politely.
“…I shall escort you.”
Valtar, still maintaining a formal demeanor, began to guide me with precision.
The scenery inside the royal palace was exactly as I had seen it in the game.
However, I couldn’t help but be drawn to each and every detail due to the overwhelming sense of realism.
‘Being a king is nice indeed.’
I hold a similar position to a king among my followers, but the feeling is different.
Our Bella has been extremely tense since earlier.
Although there are no longer any traces of injury on me, her firm determination not to allow another accident is evident.
‘Can you stay calm?’
‘If the Father God commands it.’
That’s why, before leaving the room, I laid down some insurance beforehand.
To prevent her from misunderstanding and doing something strange on her own.
“It’s lively.”
I expressed my honest impression.
After being immersed in a modern landscape, actually encountering such a rare sight made my heart race.
Servants and butlers busily moving about the palace, and even officials who looked like nobles…
It’s very pleasing to see them fulfilling their roles, even though they are very restrained.
If I return to the main headquarters of the religious order now, would our children also be like this?
I look forward to that time.
“…Thank you.”
Praise for the royal palace is praise for himself.
Valtar, who was guiding us through the palace, replied a beat later.
“I wonder if His Majesty is well.”
I wonder if he has been doing well.
At least until I reached the end-game progress level, he hadn’t perished, so he must be doing well.
“His Majesty the King is always in good health. Under his rule, the Kingdom of Legardium prospers day by day.”
At the textbook answer, as if he had memorized the entire manual, I couldn’t help but smile.
“That’s a relief.”
It wasn’t a bad feeling to hear that the kingdom I viewed favorably was doing well.
After all, I came here partly to see the royal palace.
And so, we arrived in front of a massive door.
“You may enter here.”
“Is this… the audience chamber?”
“It is not.”
Valtar replied with an even stiffer tone than before.
“…Then?”
“His Majesty the King wishes to meet you in the conference room.”
The conference room?
Is it the conference room I know?
It’s the room where the king usually discusses matters with his vassals or important national issues.
Rumble…
Passing through the massive door that opened with a grand noise, I stepped inside…
And was greeted by an interior that was too luxurious and enormous for humans to use.
‘…Whoa.’
The sight evoked a feeling of being overwhelmed by something.
An atmosphere where even a single structure, a single speck of dust, seemed to be imbued with authority.
It was as if the boundary between the inside and outside of the door was a complete dimensional separation.
Click. Click.
Bella and Valtar followed me inside.
“Your Majesty.”
Valtar, having entered the room, immediately knelt in respect and waited for the man’s reaction.
An old man with a white beard, exuding the passage of time.
‘Should I kneel too?’
I have my pride as a constellation, so I just observed the situation for now.
“It must have been a long journey.”
A brief silence followed. The old man, after staring at me for a long time, suddenly opened his mouth.
Despite his somewhat weak and hoarse voice, a unique firmness could be felt.
Dignity and manners that seemed to say he had lived his entire life reigning over others from the moment he was born.
“You must be tired.”
The first meeting with the king of a nation left a deep impression on me.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
I gave a faint smile and bowed my head slightly in greeting.
“The Knight Commander may leave.”
“…!”
King Edmund, who nodded in response to my greeting, ordered Valtar to leave.
“B-But.”
“There’s no need to worry. Go on now.”
In this vast room, there was only me, Bella, and the king and Knight Commander on the other side.
The only one who could prepare for any unexpected situation was the Knight Commander.
And yet, he’s being told to leave.
It feels like a decision that puts his life on the line.
“…Do you want to leave too, Bella?”
I asked tactfully, and the king intervened again.
“Your follower may stay.”
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“It’s an order, Knight Commander.”
The other party is the king.
The Knight Commander, unable to disobey his loyalty, finally took his reluctant steps and left through the door.
Rumble…
The heavy door closed once again, and the three of us were completely isolated inside the room.
“Please have a seat wherever you’re comfortable.”
The aged king showed me consideration, just as he did before.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Originally, there would be troublesome etiquette and procedures…
But he boldly cut through all that and wanted to get straight to the point.
I slowly walked over and sat in a suitable spot.
It was quite a luxurious chair at first glance, and the moment I sat down, I thought, “This is the life of a noble.”
Entrusting my body to the soft comfort, I waited for the king’s next words.
“I heard that you descended to this land yourself to stop the holy war.”
Edmund Carsein brought up the topic directly.
“Indeed.”
“For a while, we thought you had abandoned this world. Or that you had… perished somewhere after losing your power.”
I didn’t know this would happen to me either.
Who would have imagined?
That one morning, I would become a god-like being and explore an unfamiliar world.
Gnash.
At the word “perished” that came from the king’s mouth, Bella, who was standing next to me, clenched her teeth.
It was good to see her trying her best to restrain herself, as I had asked.
‘It’s time to start working.’
This is the important part.
I need to somehow gain the king’s favor so I can have some insurance for the upcoming conversation about his daughter.
‘Should I apply some blessings?’
The healing skills I bestow are very beneficial to the human body.
Such nourishment would be invaluable to the aged king.
To achieve that, first…
“Someone has been feeding false information to my children.”
The one who leaked the clue about my existence to the Black Sun religious order.
I don’t know who that bastard is, but the important thing is that our children are victims of that false information.
“That’s why they tried to wage a holy war against the Black Sun religious order.”
The king quietly listened to my story until then.
“…”
“Fortunately, I was able to stop the holy war, but it seems there was a minor misunderstanding with the kingdom’s forces in the process.”
I continued speaking in a tone that expressed deep regret.
“That someone is…”
The king, who had been listening to my story, opened his mouth.
“I haven’t located them yet, but I’ll find them soon. It must be the forces of evil who tried to drive a wedge between Your Majesty and our religious order.”
I was confident that I could identify the culprit soon.
I had the ability to do so, and in the world of the original progress level…
It would be no different from having it in the palm of my hand.
“The forces of evil…”
The king cleared his throat with a displeased expression.
“Are you saying there is a true culprit who dared to make a mockery of my and your forces in all of this?”
“Indeed.”
“If you catch that culprit…”
“We must make an example of them so they can never threaten my children and peace again.”
I said calmly, meeting the king’s gaze.
Spirit is important here.
Never let the anxiety hidden deep within my heart leak out.
It’s about facing him as if hypnotizing myself.
“Perhaps…”
King Edmund Carsein, seemingly lost in thought, finally opened his mouth after a long silence.
Many worries must be clashing in his mind.
Whether the words I’m uttering are true or false.
Whether he should be hostile towards our religious order, or trust us for now.
And if the matter of the princess is added to this…
Even for Edmund Carsein, who has a cold-hearted disposition, it would be quite a troublesome issue.
“You may have come here already knowing everything.”
Knowing everything.
My mind raced at those words.
Should I pretend I know, or should I confess honestly?
While I was lost in thought…
Suppressed anger leaked out from Bella, who was beside me.
“Even if you are the king of a nation, I will not tolerate you doubting and insulting my Lord God.”
She was smiling gently, but…
Being close to her, I could clearly feel it.
That Belladis Locheria was harboring clear killing intent towards the king who was relentlessly pushing me.
“…I seem to have gotten carried away. I apologize.”
Only when I saw the king backing down…
Did a realization hit me.
‘He deliberately dismissed the Knight Commander, his only means of protection.’
If he wanted to threaten me, there would have been more drastic measures.
‘He wants to talk.’
Seeing him readily admit his fault even after Bella’s warning, my guess was confirmed.
Only then could I decide on my next course of action.
‘Alright. Let’s just go for it.’
“I’m fine.”
First, I calmed down the beautiful follower who was growling threateningly.
Then, I replied with a gentle smile.
“Your Majesty asked if I knew everything, right?”
“…”
“In this world—”
Who was I?
In this hell where constellations are rampant…
The constellation who has reached the highest position, the supreme authority of the strongest religious order.
That authority, even the king of the strongest nation…
…must look upon with awe.
“There is nothing I don’t know.”
Therefore, I dared to say.
“…”
“…”
After my words, a heavy silence weighed down the atmosphere.
‘Almost there.’
Soon, the answer that put an end to everything came.
“I have committed a grave sin.”
Thud!!
The king, who had been obediently listening to me, suddenly rose from his throne and slammed his forehead on the floor.
“I am responsible for all of this.”
“…Excuse me?”
My cognition couldn’t keep up with the sudden turn of events.
What’s going on?
“As you already know, Lord God, I dared, I dared…”
The king trembled as if his head was about to roll off…
And with difficulty, he uttered his last words.
“It was I, Edmund Carsein, who spread false information to your religious order…”
Suddenly, the culprit appeared.