Chapter 181

The Succession Ceremony (2)

It had been a long time since Selena had gone out.

Sitting inside the carriage, she reflected on the new life she had received thanks to Grylls’s grace. She had absolutely no intention of squandering it.

Her ultimate goal was to continue supporting Grylls so that he could escape the Forest of Four Seasons.

She searched through all kinds of books for information about the forest and regularly sent him elixirs whenever she could.

Grylls has already had a significant influence on several countries. I’m sure people will bring him up during the succession ceremony.

Her ultimate reason for attending this ceremony was to gauge public opinion regarding Grylls.

Some might say he was merely a registered user on the Gallery, but that was far from the truth.

Grylls had already thrown El Dorado into turmoil, bringing it to the brink of civil war.

And what about the Central Plains? Hadn’t the successor of the former leader of the Blood Cult—a notorious villain—appeared?

The fact that the successor was a gorilla was absurd, but that alone had been enough to stir the Blood Cult back into action.

The Heavenly Demon put out the immediate fire by confronting them in person, but...

The situation was such that it would not be strange for the Blood Cult to rear its head again at any moment.

The deeper Grylls delved into the Forest of Four Seasons, the more the entire world was shaken.

Hadn’t he recently even proven the existence of the sky whale, a creature thought to exist only in mythology?

Selena herself had rubbed her eyes several times after seeing it.

Even she had only ever heard of sky whales in fairy tales based on ancient myths.

Then Grylls had gone so far as to obtain ambergris—a byproduct of that very sky whale. There was no need to explain how valuable such ambergris would be.

Praise the Sun merely burned it as incense. All-Father was far too hasty as well.

When Grylls offered to give her a portion of the ambergris, Selena had considered accepting it.

After careful thought, however, she decided to refuse. It would have been another matter if it were merely legendary, but this was an object from mythology itself.

At least legendary objects sometimes had documented effects. Myths, on the other hand, had only recently been reconstructed from stories passed down by word of mouth.

They could not even explain how a whale that should live in the ocean could swim through the sky. How could anyone possibly predict what its ambergris would do?

There was no telling what consequences it might bring. It was frightening precisely because they knew nothing about it.

Praise the Sun might have treated burning it as incense lightly, but he had taken on a terrifying risk.

The Forest of Four Seasons was a demonic realm about which almost nothing was known.

Even someone like Selena could not realistically uncover all its secrets.

That was why she planned to find others who shared her views.

Though I won’t reveal my intentions openly.

Among nobles, the Gallery was regarded as a cesspit of vulgar desires.

It was therefore best to refrain from mentioning it in public.

But nobles were still people, so the proportion of them using the Gallery was probably quite high.

It would not be easy to identify them when speaking indirectly was practically second nature to nobles, however.

I also need to return to the Academy... This is going to be difficult.

She had merely been forced to request an indefinite leave of absence because of her Nine Yin Severed Meridians. She had never withdrawn from the Academy.

More importantly, returning was essential for Mary, the new face of House Mercedes.

Helping Grylls was one thing, but Selena could not simply ignore reality.

“Selena, if you feel dizzy, tell us immediately. There is no need to push yourself.”

Selena had been lost in thought when her mother, seated across from her, spoke with concern.

Her father, sitting beside her mother, looked equally worried.

Selena wanted to reassure them with a smile, but the corners of her lips refused to rise properly.

Both now and in the past, warm smiles had never suited her.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I can even perform strenuous exercise without any trouble now. Look.”

To ease their worries, Selena held out an arm.

In the past, it had been so emaciated that it resembled a bare tree branch, with nothing but bone beneath the skin.

Now, however, it had gained both flesh and muscle, radiating healthy vitality.

Her skin possessed a lustrous glow as well. She no longer looked remotely frail.

Mary gazed curiously at Selena’s beautiful arm before opening her mouth.

“But, my la—”

“Big Sister.”

“...Big Sister Selena, what did you eat yesterday to make your skin look like this?”

Mary’s question was perfectly reasonable. Even Selena’s parents looked curious.

Before she was cured, Selena had never once gone outside.

As a result, her skin had been as white as snow, and that remained unchanged even after her recovery.

Yet, for some unknown reason, her complexion now looked completely different.

Its color had not changed, but it seemed to radiate a brilliant glow.

Her skin itself shone with a glossy luster, making her beauty stand out even more.

“Perhaps it’s because I’ve been exercising regularly. If you keep exercising, you might become like this too, Mary.”

“But I hate exercising...”

Mary’s grumbling filled the carriage with laughter.

Even Selena, who normally maintained a cold expression, raised the corners of her lips ever so slightly.

All I did was eat some honey. Who knew it would change me this much?

What Selena had eaten was none other than the honey Grylls had given her as a gift.

It was honey harvested from the Forest of Four Seasons, and it had tasted exquisite.

However, she had never expected it to have an effect like this.

There’s no harm in something good.

As a woman, this was certainly a pleasant result, not a bad one.

Of course, if a social gathering followed the succession ceremony, she would undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention.

The mere thought filled her with annoyance, but she could gladly endure it for the sake of her goal.

“Mary, once the succession ceremony is over, stay by my side no matter what. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“And as for the things nobles say...”

Selena began teaching Mary, who was about to make her first official public appearance, the many things she needed to be careful of.

Their parents watched the two of them with contented expressions.

Selena’s incurable illness had once cast a pall over their household every single day, but that was no longer the case.

Now, only happy days and a bright future awaited them.

This succession ceremony would mark the beginning.

“It seems we’ve arrived. Let’s get out.”

“Yes.”

Before long, House Mercedes arrived at the Imperial Palace, where the succession ceremony was to be held.

Escorted by her father, Selena stepped down from the carriage.

The moment she emerged, exclamations of admiration erupted from the surrounding crowd.

So it begins.

Selena was about to let their compliments wash over her when—

“...Hmm?”

Her eyes met someone else’s.

While Selena possessed hair as white as snow, the other woman’s silver hair seemed steeped in moonlight.

Her beauty was remarkable enough, but her uniform lent her an air of imposing dignity as well.

“Ash? But...”

It was surprising enough that Ash, the Empire’s strongest swordswoman, had appeared. Yet something else drew Selena’s attention even more.

It was Ash’s skin.

Her complexion was so beautiful that it seemed to gleam.

Their skin tones were different, but there was an uncannily identical quality to their appearance.

“...It seems Count Menesil is attending as well.”

“Indeed. I heard she had secluded herself.”

“Count Menesil? You don’t mean Ash, the Swordmaster?”

Hearing the voices around her, Selena hurriedly looked away.

Even if she was curious, continuing to stare would only make things awkward.

What in the world is going on?

Selena continued stealing glances at Ash as she entered the Imperial Palace.

Perhaps it was merely a coincidence. Still, the timing was far too uncanny.

Had Ash thought the same thing about Selena? Or had her gaze simply been drawn to Selena’s beauty?

There were too many possibilities to consider, making it difficult to reach a definite conclusion.

“Ash... I mean, Count Menesil was incredibly beautiful too. Not as beautiful as you, of course.”

“Is that so? I think Count Menesil is more beautiful than I am.”

“What are you talking about? No matter how beautiful she is, she can’t compare to you. Though I suppose your skin did look rather similar.”

“...You thought so too?”

When Mary mentioned their skin, Selena cautiously asked for confirmation.

Mary nodded and frankly shared her thoughts.

“Yes. Her skin had a similar quality to yours. Do you really think it’s because of exercise?”

“Perhaps. That’s why you should exercise diligently as well.”

“Urgh... I still don’t like exercising...”

If even Mary had noticed the similarity, then it could not have been Selena’s imagination.

Had Ash eaten the honey as well?

More specifically, had she eaten honey gifted to her by Grylls?

Grylls must have distributed some honey to the registered Gallery users he was close to.

And Selena knew very well which users were close to Grylls.

No. It’s still too early to decide.

She would only be able to learn the truth by speaking to Ash in person later.

Even if she discovered that Ash was one of the registered users close to Grylls, however, nothing would change.

There would be nothing to gain from acknowledging that they knew each other.

This was the Gallery they were talking about, a cultural cesspit filled with things too embarrassing to utter aloud.

The best course of action would be to keep her mouth firmly shut and feign ignorance.

Still, if Ash really is one of the users who helped Mr. Grylls...

Even after arriving in the audience chamber where the succession ceremony would be held, Selena remained lost in thought.

Most of the registered users close to Grylls possessed highly distinctive personalities.

Among them, there was only one user who could be associated with Ash.

SwordMaster.

Ash was a master swordswoman who had trained countless disciples.

The registered user SwordMaster had also posted various techniques and tips on the Gallery, raising the average combat prowess of the entire continent.

The two facts overlapped so neatly that Selena could not help but connect them.

Come to think of it, SwordMaster provided Mr. Grylls with tremendous assistance after Mad Dog attacked him. She even gave him an elixir.

Elixirs could not be obtained easily on the open market.

Ash, however, was different.

If trouble ever befell the Empire, she was someone the nation would have to cling to by the trouser leg and beg to remain.

Accordingly, the state granted her all manner of benefits. Elixirs were among them.

Using her exceptionally keen mind, Selena connected the entire chain of events.

“I hereby proclaim the birth of the Empire’s new sun!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The applause ringing in her ears pulled Selena from her thoughts, and she looked ahead.

At the center of the audience chamber stood the imperial throne.

Before it, the Crown Prince—no, Arnold, who had now become Emperor—stood wearing the imperial crown and waving his hand.

Behind him, Robert, the former emperor who had passed the crown to him, quietly applauded.

While Selena had been distracted, the entire succession ceremony had come to an end.

I need to get a grip.

Selena joined the applause without changing her expression.

If she failed to clap even now, people would surely regard her strangely.

The social gathering would soon begin naturally, so she would need to remain alert.

Ash is... There she is.

Before long, Emperor Arnold left the chamber to attend to the next part of the ceremony.

With his departure, the audience chamber naturally transformed into a social hall.

Ordinarily, the audience chamber was almost never used for social gatherings. Today, however, was the succession ceremony.

As every vassal of the Empire had gathered in one place, special permission had been granted.

It’s been a long time since I experienced this kind of atmosphere.

Selena sipped her drink and took in the mood of the gathering.

In the past, she had attended so many social functions that they had gone beyond tedious and become downright irritating.

But as she had grown weaker with each passing day, she had come to realize just how precious it was to meet other people—

As if. I want to finish what I came here to do and go home.

She had realized nothing of the sort. Social gatherings were still a nuisance.

Moreover, after becoming deeply absorbed in the Gallery, she had developed a decidedly homebody disposition.

Still, she had to endure it.

Selena remained where she was instead of rushing into anything.

“Um, Big Sister. What should I do now?”

“Hmm... Why don’t we begin by approaching those young ladies over there? They seem to be around your age.”

“...”

“Y-Yes!”

Of course, she did not forget to help her adorable younger sister.

While Selena was diligently introducing Mary to the other nobles—

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

A major figure approached them.

The pleasant, melodious voice rang clearly in Selena’s ears.

When she turned her head, she found herself facing a familiar woman.

Ash was rather tall for a woman, and her uniform emphasized her strong, well-built physique.

Then there was her beautiful face—and the lustrous skin that made her beauty stand out all the more.

She came.

The person Selena had never expected to speak with, yet who now occupied her thoughts more than anyone else, had approached her.

Maintaining her usual expressionless countenance, Selena spoke.

“It is the renowned Count Menesil.”

For now, this is merely a preliminary exchange.

That was Selena’s assessment.

But sometimes, direct action took priority over carefully testing the waters.

“You know my name. I am honored, Lady Mercedes.”

“On the contrary, I am honored that you know mine, Count Menesil. What brings you to me?”

Ash hesitated over whether to speak, then subtly glanced around.

She appeared to be checking whether anyone nearby was watching them.

Selena was beginning to wonder why when Ash finally spoke.

“Your skin looked so beautiful and sweet, like honey. I hope you’ll forgive me for approaching you so abruptly.”

It was an exceedingly cheesy way of putting it.

Taken at face value, it was enough to make someone question Ash’s romantic preferences.

Selena, however, understood it differently.

At least to her, it translated as:

[Hello! I’m a Gallery user! It’s nice to meet you!]

Just as Selena had suspected Ash, Ash had been suspicious of her as well.

Neither of them had been certain, so Ash had offered a sort of secret code that only the two of them could understand.

Selena felt momentarily faint, but quickly pulled herself together.

Now that the other woman had revealed her identity—so to speak—Selena could not simply ignore it.

“...Thank you for the compliment. Your skin is beautiful as well, Count Menesil.”

“Thank you.”

“It seems that you, too...”

Selena trailed off before cautiously continuing.

“...have eaten some excellent honey.”

Though those were the words she spoke, their true meaning was this:

[Hello! I’m a Gallery user too! Let’s get along from now on!]

It was the moment an entirely unintended friendship was formed.

I must never tell anyone.

If she has any sense, she’ll keep her mouth shut.

At the same time, both women realized that they now held each other’s lives in their hands.