Chapter 25: You... You're Not Right! (Patreon)

"Lady Pandora!" Regulus's eyes lit up with an entirely different fire. "You have to let me be this nation's king!"

It had been his dream for who knew how many years! Yet in the hundred years since, not only had it never come true — there hadn't even been a sign that it ever would!

But now...

"Well..." At that, Pandora tapped lightly on the meeting table, as though weighing the matter, and at last arrived at her answer —

"— it's still under consideration."

"Wh... why?!" Regulus's eyes went wide.

This was his life's ambition. He'd already achieved the first step — but the second step, his own competence, had just been flatly denied.

That was something he absolutely could not accept!

"There are two reasons." Pandora simply held up two fingers.

"First: whether this goal can even be achieved is still unknown."

"Second: given your character, I'm afraid you're not up to the task."

What was wrong with his character? He was such a perfect person — how had he ended up "not up to the task" in her eyes?!

"Lady Pandora is right." By now Geuse had calmed down a little, and he nodded. "Even so, this subordinate will do everything in his power to pave the heavenly road toward your goal."

"Don't give me that, you little elf!" Regulus slammed the table and shot to his feet.

He couldn't out-argue Pandora — but surely he could out-argue Geuse! After all, for the past hundred years he'd always had the upper hand over him...

"Archbishop Regulus, this right here is exactly why your character falls short."

"Huh?!"

"You show others not just insufficient respect, but deliberate contempt."

"I..."

"And the nation I want is a republic where everyone stands equal. As you are now, you don't qualify in the slightest."

"..."

"So to accomplish this goal, we first have to reform from within. Only once the inside is flawless can we go and change the outside."

That much was the most basic requirement.

"True enough. So what I should do is..." Regulus, breathing hard, nodded along. "First make everyone whose heart is choked with greed understand what they truly ought to aspire to — and then send them into their next cycle of rebirth, repentant!"

Those wretches didn't deserve to live in this world at all!

"Stop right there." Pandora shook her head. "That's quite enough, Archbishop Regulus."

"Huh?!"

"I understand what you're thinking, but... this is exactly the sort of thing you need to change. So in a moment I'll go over some basic principles with you."

"..."

Damn it! This woman was simply infuriating! His ideology was flawless, and she wanted to change it?!

"Now then, Archbishop Lye..."

Pandora, about to say more, suddenly stopped short.

[Where'd he go?]

She stared blankly at the empty stone chair beside her.

"Lady Pandora..." Geuse called out just then. "He's..."

He pointed in a direction.

"Uh..."

She had no idea what to make of the short figure sprawled on the floor, clutching its head and muttering the same thing over and over.

"Archbishop Lye?"

What kind of act was this now?!

"Pandora... Lady Pandora, you... you're truly... so magnificent..." Lye lifted his head, speaking in broken fragments. "To think... you'd even consider... founding a nation, so that... we'd never have to go hungry... or hunt for ingredients again!"

"Uh..."

When had she ever said any such thing?!

"That's... not quite right. Actually... never mind..."

She really didn't feel like explaining. Besides, compared to Regulus, the Gluttony brothers were honestly not so bad.

"Still, Archbishop Lye, try not to go hunting for ingredients for the time being."

That much was worth spelling out.

"Huh?! But why...?" Lye looked baffled, then, without waiting for her answer, "I understand!"

"You do?"

"Lady Pandora must be doing this for our sake! Since she doesn't want us eating carelessly, we'll hold off on hunting for ingredients for now and spend more time on ourselves instead! That's it! We absolutely have to find where we currently are — within this very stretch of time! Truly, Lady Pandora — you'd already planned this far ahead for us! Ah — Lady Pandora, you did say you've studied ingredients yourself, so once we find ourselves, we'll be sure to hunt down the finest ingredients and offer them up to you!"

At that, Pandora — who had originally meant to tell him where Rui Arneb was — swallowed the words back down.

"That's right, exactly. But there's no rush — this sort of thing doesn't happen overnight."

She wanted absolutely nothing to do with any ingredients...

"Lady Pandora is right..." Lye pounded a fist against the floor. "To think... Lady Pandora... would care so much for us!"

Fine. She gave up.

"So... is there anything else?" Ignoring Lye's little meltdown beside her, she turned to Regulus — who now wore the face of a man who'd lost all will to live — and to the utterly earnest Geuse. "If not, this meeting is adjourned."

Honestly, it hadn't even been that long, yet it felt like a whole century had passed...

All she could say was — talking to Regulus and Lye was exhausting. And on top of that, Capella hadn't even bothered to show...

[Guess I'll have to pay her a visit sometime.]

If she was ever going to "conquer the realm," every last bit of strength and ability would be indispensable.

[But before that...]

Thinking this, she glanced over at Regulus, who was still struggling to compose himself.

...

Regulus had already worked it out: Pandora's Authority only took effect when its target stood right before her and she spoke the words aloud!

[As expected of me, the most perfect being there is! I saw through that wretched woman's Authority in an instant!]

His thoughts still somewhat scrambled, Regulus was already picturing himself a free man once more.

Just as he rose to his feet...

"Lady Pandora, there's one more thing this subordinate wanted to— Archbishop Regulus?" Geuse suddenly spoke up, then, noticing Regulus on his feet, added, "If you've got something to attend to, go right ahead."

[Damn it! That idiot elf!]

Though inwardly he'd already cursed Geuse up one side and down the other, outwardly he still managed —

"No... I was just tired of sitting, so I stood up to stretch, that's all..."