Chapter 289

Though I instinctively recoiled, being recognized as a hero wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

It could be leveraged in countless ways.

Especially since the status of “hero” would come in handy even when dealing with the Celestial Sovereign.

Chris crossed his arms.

The Celestial Sovereign was no pushover.

In his previous life, Chris had known the Sovereign—not just casually, but on a rather deep level.

Not that he liked her.

Far from it. They were more like bitter rivals.

Then, suddenly, a chill ran down Chris’s spine.

Ding-dong.

A bell rang out.

Clear and pure, like a drop of water falling onto a still lake—yet somehow it commanded the very soul’s attention.

“A sound imbued with celestial power.”

Turning his gaze, Chris saw a woman standing there.

Early twenties, perhaps?

She looked like an angel descended from the heavens.

Snow-white hair like fresh-fallen snow, a pristine white priestess’s robe.

A gentle, kind smile playing on her lips, soft blue eyes.

In her hand, a staff adorned with a bell.

Chris’s lips twitched at the sight of the familiar woman.

“Long time no see, you arrogant, hypocritical fraud.”

A thought that caught him off guard.

What was it about her that made him think that?

At that moment, Ruina and Evan, standing beside him, hurriedly bowed to the woman.

Ruina, especially, was fussing and raising her voice in excitement.

“Your Majesty, the great and noble Celestial Sovereign!”

That’s right.

This woman was none other than Istanya, the Saint of the Celestial Sovereign—the current Sovereign herself.

She was also one of the hero party’s other companions.

---

The hero party’s main members were Evan, the archmage Lanya, Chris, and the dark chatterbox.

Several others had come and gone, and Istanya was one of them.

After the fall of the Holy Empire, she had led the resistance.

“You’re truly insufferable. To be this unlucky, even by accident.”

Chris recalled a conversation with Istanya from his previous life.

Despite her title as Saint, she had a rather unpleasant personality.

“She’s probably just putting on a good front now.”

To anyone else, she seemed the embodiment of nobility.

Ruina, in particular, looked utterly bewitched, her eyes brimming with reverence.

Evan, however, was different.

His gaze was subtly disrespectful, as if his keen eyes saw through Istanya’s true nature.

“…If you can see through others so well, why treat me like that?”

“Of course, the true saint is Christian.”

Chris shot a glance at Evan, who was looking at Istanya with a completely opposite, respectful gaze.

Chris wore a wry expression.

“By the way, Your Majesty, why have you come here in person?”

Ruina asked cautiously.

They hadn’t yet entered the audience chamber.

They were still in the waiting room of the Celestial Sovereign’s palace when the Sovereign herself suddenly appeared.

“Well, I heard a great hero had been born, so I came myself.”

Istanya smiled sweetly.

To an outsider, it would have been a breathtakingly beautiful and noble smile—but Chris wasn’t fooled.

He knew better than anyone that it was all an act.

Ruina nudged him, signaling to hurry up and show proper respect.

The Celestial Knights accompanying Istanya were glaring fiercely.

Chris nodded and stepped forward.

“I am a prophet who has received the revelation of the Celestial Constellation. Since I was just recognized as a hero, you may call me that. Pleased to meet you.”

“!!”

The room stirred at his blatant lack of etiquette.

“You dare?! Do you want to die?!”

Clang!

The Celestial Knights drew their swords.

At that moment, Evan moved.

Swish!

A sword was suddenly pressed against the neck of the lead knight.

“Y-You…”

“You all should be the ones to avoid disrespect. This man is the one who will save the world—a being more noble than any of you lowly fools to treat carelessly.”

“!!”

The knights fell silent.

Evan’s presence was so fierce and deadly it overwhelmed them.

“That’s enough. The Constellation would not want brothers to fight. Sheathe your swords.”

Chris, pretending to be noble, playing the prophet, stopped Evan.

Clang!

Evan sheathed his sword and pushed the knights back.

Their faces flushed red, but they dared not advance against Evan’s superior skill.

Chris looked at the Sovereign.

“You disrespected me first, so I treated you as an equal servant of the Constellation. If that offended you, I apologize.”

“!!”

He was basically saying: You disrespected me first, so I returned the favor. Why make a fuss among servants of the same Constellation?

But Chris continued confidently.

“All servants of the Constellation are brothers. The doctrine says we serve each other equally. If you want me to bow to secular authority, I will comply.”

A jab at the Sovereign, who ruled like an emperor despite being a servant of the Constellation.

Istanya’s face stiffened.

But it was hard to argue.

Chris was right according to doctrine.

In fact, many priests in the order had long criticized the secularization of the Celestial Sovereign’s palace.

Still, who had the guts to say such things openly in front of the exalted Sovereign?

“…You’re an interesting one. If you wish, I will allow you to speak freely. After all, you and I are both servants of the Constellation.”

“Understood. I will.”

“……”

Chris’s blunt reply made Istanya’s eyebrows twitch again.

Her face clearly showed displeasure.

‘Ugh. If you want to commit suicide, do it alone. Why do you always have to act like this?’

Ruina looked beside him, her face full of nervous worry.

Evan, on the other hand, showed no hesitation or doubt—he trusted Christian no matter what strange things he did.

Evan’s faith was justified.

Chris was deliberately being rude for a reason.

“…I can’t believe someone as uncouth as you was recognized as a hero.”

To unmask her.

Chris grinned at Istanya’s cold glare.

‘Bingo. She’s quick to lose her temper. In our previous life, she’d get mad at the slightest tease.’

Having been comrades in the past, Chris couldn’t help but smile.

To him, Istanya was less a great Sovereign and more a quarrelsome, ill-tempered rival.

“Well, being a fallen emperor isn’t so different, I guess.”

By the way, Istanya was the only one among the hero party who knew Chris had once been the emperor of the Karn Empire.

They had even drunk together, mocking each other as fallen emperors.

Of course, that was in a past life.

Now, with Istanya glaring at him fiercely, Chris had to manipulate her to his advantage.

“You don’t look like a hero at all. I don’t know what trick you pulled, but a prophet, really?”

Istanya raised her staff, pointing it at Chris.

Celestial energy radiated, pressing down on him.

“I don’t sense even a trace of the Constellation’s power. How can you claim to have received its revelation?”

“!!”

As expected of the Sovereign.

She saw through Chris’s lie instantly.

Ruina’s face went pale, and Evan stepped forward protectively.

“I ask again. Who are you?”

A cold tension filled the air.

If Chris failed to answer properly here, every Celestial Knight in the palace would turn their swords on him.

A perilous situation, yet Chris answered calmly.

“Didn’t I say? I’m a prophet and a hero.”

“Still lying…”

“If you tell me why the great Celestial Sovereign came to see me personally, will that prove I’m a prophet? It must be related to the ‘Mark.’”

“…What?”

The moment Istanya heard the word “Mark,” her face hardened.

She looked clearly unsettled.

“…What nonsense is this all of a sudden?”

Her voice sharpened, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Chris smirked.

“The Constellation revealed to me the Sovereign’s true thoughts. But is this really the place to talk about it? With so many ears around, it might cause trouble for the great Sovereign.”

“……”

Istanya bit her lip tightly.

Then, glaring fiercely at Christian, she said something unexpected to the Celestial Knights.

“You all, leave.”

“Your Majesty?!”

“It’s fine. No matter how rude these two are, they can’t harm me here in the palace.”

“But…!”

“Do you refuse to obey my command?”

The knights hesitated, then reluctantly stepped back.

Istanya was left alone with Christian.

“Is there no other watcher?”

Watching the Sovereign? What a surprising question.

She frowned.

“How do you know I’m being watched?”

“Didn’t I say? I received the Constellation’s revelation.”

Of course, it was a lie.

He had overheard the story at a drinking party.

If only those damn fools hadn’t been around, the Holy Empire wouldn’t have fallen so easily. I should have drowned them in the gutter long ago.

Chris recalled Istanya’s drunken, rough voice cursing.

You should have done better. It’s your fault as Sovereign for mismanaging the country.

Useless brat. And you wasted your talents on trivial things like being a medical saint or a guide.

Istanya had always complained to Chris like that.

“If you had become the emperor of the Karn Empire just five years earlier—no, if you had even properly mastered either swordsmanship or magic—the fate of the alliance would have been different. The world’s destruction is all because you neglected your duties despite having such insane power.”

“That’s nonsense…”

Every time they met, those accusations echoed in his mind.

‘Thanks to that, I often bickered with the dark gossip who always sided with me.’

All he could remember were their constant fights, but maybe those were memories in their own way.

Seeing it like that, a warm feeling welled up inside him, and he smiled.

“Then I’ll help.”

“…!!”

Istanya’s eyes widened.

“You came to me for help in the first place, didn’t you? To deal with those rotten scoundrels gnawing away at the Holy Empire, and to solve the problem of the ‘Mark’—His Majesty the Great Sovereign’s greatest concern.”

Istanya’s expression stiffened, and Chris smirked defiantly.

“If only you had properly used your abilities.”

Having heard that tiresome line so many times, Chris was determined this time to truly show Istanya what he was capable of.

‘I teased Istanya plenty about being the doomed sovereign of a fallen nation. Maybe it’s time I actually helped.’

Of course, it wouldn’t be free.

“There’s one condition. You have to follow what I say.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I have a proposal that will benefit you. Just hear me out.”

After hearing Chris’s plan, Istanya’s face was overtaken by shock.

It was unbelievable.

A truly insane proposal.

This was the beginning of the ‘operation’ to dismantle the Triangular Alliance.