Chapter 343: Chapter 343 - Paying For One’s Sin

“At this pace, we’ll reach the capital by tomorrow.”

“Oh... Yeah, you’re right.”

Iris’s expression darkened. She lifelessly walked to the carriage with slumped shoulders. Oh Kang-Woo clicked his tongue as he watched her. He had realized a few things about Iris during their few days together.

‘She hasn’t been completely irredeemable from the start.’

Although she was a little immature, she was occasionally delicate. However, she spoke disrespectfully to her maids and Kang-Woo as if it was completely natural. Kang-Woo wondered what had caused her personality to become so twisted.

‘Well, I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow.’

Kang-Woo stared with sunken eyes at the pale, trembling Iris. The problem was not what sort of trauma she had suffered.

‘Public opinion of her is worse than what I had expected.’

Opinions regarding Princess Iris in the Arnan Empire literally could not get any worse. The people were blatantly showing their detest of her to the point that it seemed excessive.

‘An incompetent, greedy and egocentric princess.’

The people pretty much considered her the epitome of corruption.

‘I have a feeling that someone spread such rumors intentionally.’

However, it was hard to absolve the princess of any fault. Considering how Iris treated her maids and everyone other than Kim Si-Hun, she could not be treated as a victim of false malicious rumors. As for how she treated the people below her...

“Siesta!! I told you to clean the inside of the carriage!” Iris yelled while hopping madly.

‘Jesus Christ.’

She was usually fine, but she turned hysterical whenever anything related to the capital was mentioned. Whatever the reason, the people of the empire as well as Kang-Woo’s party members did not have a good impression of her due to her hysteria.

‘That’s a problem.’

At this rate, it would throw a wrench in the plan to support the princess and raise Si-Hun as a hero, to the point that it would have been easier for Si-Hun to be hailed as a hero if they had taken the rebel army’s side instead.

‘I’ll have to think about it.’

Kang-Woo stood up. There was only one day left until they reached the imperial capital.

***

“Wow, so this is the capital?” Han Seol-Ah expressed in amazement.

Kang-Woo, who was in the same carriage, looked around in surprise.

“I knew that they had made great advancements in magic, but this exceeds my expectations.”

It could not even be compared to a tiny city like Velen. Five-story buildings were erected along the road that the carriage was traveling down, and the sidewalks were extremely clean, having been made with pure white marble.

‘So this is...’

It was the capital of Arnan, the most prosperous city in Aernor. Its size truly befitted its reputation. Kang-Woo looked out the window to check the expressions of the passersby.

“Tsk.”

It was no different in the capital; likely having been notified of the princess’s arrival, the people were glaring at the carriage that Iris was in with hostility. It felt like a riot would occur with the slightest push, but it did not because a crowd of imperial soldiers came out to protect the carriage. Kang-Woo and his party were able to reach the golden imperial castle with the imperial soldiers escorting them.

“S-Sir Si-Hun. Umm... How long will you be staying in the imperial castle for?” Iris asked cautiously after getting off the carriage.

Si-Hun momentarily fell into thought.

‘It’s all an act, though.’

He had already talked it over with Kang-Woo beforehand.

“Since we’re not in a rush... May we stay here for a while?” Si-Hun asked.

“Ah! O-Of course!” Iris answered happily.

She guided the party into the imperial castle while smiling brightly. Just then...

“Oh, are these the good people that had saved you from the rebel army, Your Highness?” An old man in white vestments walked over to them slowly. He grabbed Si-Hun’s hand and said softly, “Thank you very much for saving Her Highness. Fuuu. My heart sank when I found out that she was attacked by rebel forces...”

The old man in priest vestments sighed in relief while teary-eyed.

“I only did what I should have done,” Si-Hun replied.

“Hahaha. You are as heroic as I’ve heard.”

The old man went up to every single one of Kang-Woo’s party members to shake their hands and bow to them.

“Oh, I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I am Prime Minister Fidelio, Her Highness’s advisor.” Fidelio politely bowed to Kang-Woo’s party. He turned to the maids in the area and continued, “They are the heroes that have saved Her Highness. Guide them to the VIP rooms.”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

“It seems we’ll have to hold a grand party soon. I will have to tell the other nobles of your heroics.” Fidelio smiled and approached Iris. “Are you hurt anywhere, Your Highness?”

“Ah, uhh...” Iris turned pale as soon as Fidelio approached her. She lowered her head while trembling. “I-I’m... fine.”

“Phew. You have no idea how anxious I was when I heard that you went to the founding emperor’s grave while I was away.”

“I’m sorry,” Iris muttered.

It was not difficult to guess which of the two held more power in the imperial palace just from seeing Iris’s attitude.

Kang-Woo stared at Prime Minister Fidelio with sharp eyes. He had expected to find the mastermind of the incident sooner or later once he arrived at the imperial palace, but he had not expected to find them so soon.

‘It was you, huh?’

Kang-Woo smirked. The fog in his mind had cleared up completely.

***

Kang-Woo’s party unpacked as soon as they were guided to the VIP rooms. They were each given one room, and every single one of them was luxurious enough to make their mouths agape.

“Haaah.” Kang-Woo laid down on the soft bed. “Lilith.”

“Yes, Master Kang-Woo.”

Lilith appeared from the shadow on the ground as if she had expected Kang-Woo to call her. She alluringly sat down on the bed next to Kang-Woo and leaned toward him. She knew why Kang-Woo had called her even without being told.

“What will you do, my king?”

“I’m thinking about it,” Kang-Woo answered.

“I think we will get through to that Fidelio human better than the princess.”

“That’s true.”

It was easier to work together with the prime minister, who practically had the empire in his grasp, than the incompetent princess. It was none of Kang-Woo’s business whether or not Fidelio actually tried to have the princess killed.

“The problem is...” Kang-Woo slurred.

“The blessing of the high elves, correct?”

“Yeah.” Kang-Woo nodded.

The blessing of the high elves was apparently passed down to members of the imperial family. Kang-Woo could not be sure if that would influence the appearance of a high elf before the savior.

‘It’s hard to say that they’re not related.’

Considering a high elf appeared before the founding emperor himself, it was hard to be sure that it had nothing to do with the manifestation of the high elves in the physical realm. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and fell into thought.

‘It would be a piece of cake to cooperate with Fidelio and make Si-Hun a hero.’

All they had to do was raise up the rebel army and kill Iris, just like what Fidelio had originally planned. If they did, Si-Hun would easily acquire the title of hero who had executed the corrupt imperial family and brought peace to the empire. They had plenty of justification to do so since Iris’s reputation among the people of the empire could not be any lower.

‘As for the other choice...’

Taking Iris’s side and eliminating Fidelio; even if they did, it would be very difficult for Si-Hun to be hailed as a hero.

‘There are too many problems.’

First of all, the impression of Iris that the people of the empire held was the absolute worst. They needed to change that impression for the better, but it was difficult to do it through normal means.

‘It’s not like Iris is competent.’

No, even if she was competent, people’s impressions of her would not change if her twisted personality did not change as well. They needed to fix her twisted personality as well as allow her to break free from people’s opinion of her being a witch.

“It’s hellish.”

Kang-Woo could barely see a future for that path. Considering Iris’s hysterical behavior, she would not be easily persuaded, and there was a mountain of work they would need to do for her witch image among the public to be wiped clean.

‘Is it really worth doing all that for the blessing of the high elves that might not even have an influence?’

Kang-Woo put one leg over the other while lying down on the bed and bobbed the top leg up and down. Lilith laid down next to him and embraced him.

“How about we cooperate with Fidelio and imprison Iris instead of killing her?” Lilith suggested.

“I don’t know, that might be even worse. In the high elves’ point of view, we would pretty much be imprisoning someone that they blessed.”

It was better for her to die by Fidelio’s hands.

“Mm... May I voice my opinion?” Lilith asked.

“Of course.”

“I believe we should help that princess.”

“Iris?”

Lilith nodded. “Even if it would be a hassle, isn’t it better to pick the one that has a higher chance of manifesting the high elves?”

“True.”

Kang-Woo nodded. If he had to choose, it was more beneficial to him to take the side of the imperial family blessed by the high elves. Although he would have to work his ass off for a profit that he was not sure he would even gain, it was not something that he could not handle.

‘It’s only bothersome; it’s not impossible.’

Kang-Woo nodded.

Lilith giggled seductively and continued, “And... You would be paying for your sin.”

“Sin?”

“It would be better for you to go see yourself.” Lilith smiled softly without giving a concrete answer. “You will find out once you go to where the princess is right now.”

“Mm,” Kang-Woo expressed while nodding.

‘Well, it doesn’t hurt to take a look.’

It could be a clue to fix Iris’s twisted personality. Kang-Woo did as Lilith said and headed toward Iris’s chambers. Although there were imperial soldiers guarding the hallways, he was easily able to get past them using the Authority of Stealth.

“Sniff... Sniff.”

Once he was right in front of Iris’s chambers, he heard sobbing from across the door.

“Brother...”

Kang-Woo could hear a sorrowful voice.

‘Brother?’

Kang-Woo used the Authority of Transparency while tilting his head. The room beyond the door was reflected in his eyes. Iris was holding a small picture frame while scrunched up in her bed.

‘Who is it?’

He had not heard from her over the past few days that she had a brother. Kang-Woo repositioned himself to take a better look at the picture frame in Iris’s hands. An extremely handsome blond man came into view; it was a familiar face.

“Reynald?”

Kang-Woo’s eyes widened.

“Ohhh... I see.” Kang-Woo nodded with a long face.

The pieces of the puzzle had been placed. Reynald von Arnan, the prince of the Arnan Empire and the hero overflowing with justice, had met a wretched death by the hands of Satan, the Prince of Wrath.

‘It’s our fault for failing to stop Satan earlier.’

Kang-Woo’s heart became heavy when he thought about Reynald.

‘He was a good guy...’

Kang-Woo clenched his fists to the point that veins popped out. Although the main reason for his demise was him having gone off on his own, Kang-Woo was also at fault for not having warned him about Satan in advance.

“Haaa... So this is what she meant.”

Kang-Woo lowered his head in sorrow. He finally understood what Lilith had meant.

- You would be paying for your sin.

‘Paying for my sin, huh? Yeah, I’ll pay for it.’

The opportunity to pay for the sin of failing to save Reynald from Satan had arrived.