Chapter 87

It had been a week since the commotion with Yumiera 2 and the evil god.

I, who had not been in good health for a while, had finally returned to my usual self.

Since then, everything has been peaceful. Today, the energetic Eleonora burst into my room.

"Yumiera, this is a souvenir for you! Bear bread!"

"Thank you. ...Where did you get it from?"

"There was an event at the church where they gathered children to bake bread. I was invited by the priest and helped out."

"...Not as a participant?"

"From the organizing side!"

Regardless of whether it's true or not, she frequently visits the church in town.

By the way, I've never been there. As the lord, I have met the priest whom Eleonora calls 'teacher,' but it was here in the manor.

The priest is a good person, as evidenced by how much he is loved and called 'teacher.' But the church...

I keep thinking I should go someday, but I keep making excuses and putting it off. Eleonora is like family to me, and it's helpful that she can act as a bridge between politics and religion.

I should appreciate her as much as possible. Good job, Eleonora!

"Thank you for your hard work. It must have been tough, right?"

"It's fine! I only helped a little at the beginning, and then I didn't do anything else!"

"...What exactly did you do?"

"I was in charge of measuring the ingredients! The teacher said that since Eleonora graduated from the Royal Academy, the calculations would be easy for her."

The teacher might be dreaming too much about the Royal Academy. It's a place where nobles are forced to go to build connections for their future. People who want to become scholars usually apprentice to a scholar.

Well, most students can probably measure ingredients and calculate amounts from a recipe.

The minority of young ladies continue their high-energy conversation.

"But Kai... Oh, Kai is an older boy. He said that princesses don't need to work, so he would do it for me."

"Good job, Kai."

"I couldn't refuse his chivalrous offer."

"I see, so you were idle in the second half."

"I was called a princess by Kai."

Of course, you are. You're wearing a dress that only nobles wear, even if it's simpler than before.

And I get the feeling that Kai's 'princess' comment has a hint of sarcasm... But I didn't see it happen, so I won't say anything.

I feel relieved to see Eleonora as she always is. I understand why Sannon cares about her.

After being healed by Eleonora, I need to clear the backlog of work.

While walking down the corridor of the manor, a shadow at the edge of my vision caught my attention. A shadow from a tree in the garden stretched into the room through the window.

"Hmm?"

I casually reached out and entered the shadow.

The shadow rippled like water. It felt like being underwater.

"Ah, I found it."

I grabbed what I was looking for and pulled it up.

A black-haired boy emerged from the shadow, hanging upside down by his ankle. I thought it was his wrist. Sorry.

"Haa... It was my private domain. Why do you always do such reckless things, big sister?"

"What are you up to this time, Remun?"

"Unfair! Have I ever done anything evil?"

"Come to think of it... Huh?"

Now that you mention it, maybe not. I misunderstood because of the strong image of you being a scheming bastard.

He laughs like he's just cut off a demon's head. No, it's still illegal to break in.

As I roughly set him down on the floor, I ask about something that's been bothering me.

"You've been back here, haven't you? I'm sorry for leaving you in the 2nd world."

"It's fine. After time reset, I was hiding in your shadow."

"Don't just enter someone's shadow. Well, from now on, I can deal with you even if you hide."

"The shadow is my territory, so I don't want to be criticized no matter which shadow I'm in."

"...Do you know? Territory can be taken in war."

"Sorry, I'll be more considerate around you."

If no one noticed before, it means Remun could peek into anyone's private life.

He must be the god of peeping. He might have even seen my bath scenes. What a pervert.

"Huh? Huh? You said you'd be considerate? Why are you looking at me with such disdain?"

"Anyway, can you contact your parallel self, Remun?"

"Yeah, but... why?"

"I'm worried about how 2 is doing over there."

I want to know what actions Yumiera 2 took after that.

Chronologically, it should be around the time the demon king was defeated. Is she planning to graduate from the academy or travel to a new land?

But it's only been a week. There might not have been any significant changes.

"Ah, over there. It seems to be quite chaotic."

"Chaotic? It's only been a week?"

"...Oh!"

Remun clearly looks like he's thinking, "Oops."

What kind of incident happened in such a short time? Is his "chaotic" referring to Yumiera 2 or the entire world? Given the nature of this dark god, it's probably the latter.

"Should I go and check it out..."

"No, no! Don't recklessly distort time and space!"

"But an incident did happen, right?"

"There wasn't an incident in this short time. Parallel worlds have a force that tries to equalize their time. Relatively, time flows faster there and slower here... It's almost the same now."

Yumiera 2 regained about a year of time. If that time has returned, it means... a year has passed there.

Remun restrains me with his hand, trying to calm me down.

"So, things have settled down over there. There's no need for you to go, right? Okay?"

"If a year has passed, I want to see what 2 is doing."

2 said she would do better this time and it's been a year. What is she doing, where, and with whom?

It's not that I'm worried or anything... No, I'm going to tease her. I'll go and make her laugh.

It's not good, but I'll go quickly.

"No matter how much you want to go to the parallel world, it's impossible. I have the Pruning Sword."

"You don't seem to have any intention of returning it."

The Pruning Sword Ikitemina is not something to be carelessly thrown around. I don't have the confidence to manage it, so I decided to entrust it to Remun again.

He won't return it for personal use, but if there's a world-scale crisis, he will definitely bring the Pruning Sword. I trust him in that regard, even though he's devious.

Without it, I can't open the door to the parallel world. It's impossible without the sword, right? Is there a substitute?

Something to replace the god's pruning shears... My bare hands? Can I do it with my bare hands?

"...I can."

"What's wrong with your body?"

I moved my hands as if prying open an empty space, and a distortion in space occurred.

Sure enough, when in trouble, brute strength can solve anything.

It was a mistake to create it inside the manor. If Patrick sees this at an inconvenient time...

"Why is that thing inside the house?"

"It's been a year over there! I want to go and check on 2."

In such situations, it's best to push through with momentum. Patrick's good at understanding and accepting my intentions.

He's probably just as worried about 2's current situation. He'll definitely come along.

"...She has her own life. It might not be good for us to interfere too much, right?"

"What? You're not coming? You might be able to laugh at 2, who opened a café and no one came, looking sad!"

"Why can't you be honest?"

"Honest? What do you mean? I just want to mock 2."

A layperson opening a café out of the blue won't succeed. Ah, the ordinary 2 might want to become the owner of a stylish café. I'll go and criticize her amateur shop.

Patrick, who I thought would definitely come along, shook his head.

"It will probably just lead to another argument. I understand your concern, but she has her own life plan."

"...If you try to stop me, I'll go anyway. You said you liked my strong, unwavering heart."

"Ah, I shouldn't have said that."

Patrick sighs but agrees to come along. That's why I get carried away when you spoil me.

We jump into the spatial distortion in our current clothes and move to the 2nd world.

Even if the scenery looks familiar, this is a different world. I shouldn't be careless... huh?

"Where are we?"

"I don't recognize this place."

That's right. Even in parallel worlds with the same map, the location changes when you move.

I opened a door near the grassland close to Dorkness and connected it to the terrace of the castle. Moving from inside the house, we ended up here... where?

An open outdoor area with no buildings in sight.

Fortunately, we found the tracks of a carriage on a well-maintained road. It must be a major route.

"Should we walk along the road?"

"We should find a settlement if we walk for a while."

We walk along the road side by side.

Judging by the road, there seems to be a fair amount of traffic. However, we didn't encounter anyone.

No one? Could Yumiera 2 have made the same mistake again...

"Oh, a cart is coming."

...There were people after all.

2 wouldn't be so incompetent as to wish for the world's end twice. At most, her café might have gone bankrupt, and she's now paying off debts by going to the dungeon.

She said at the parting that she would surpass me in strength, social status, and love.

I don't think any of that is possible. She can't be stronger than me with no level cap, I'm a countess, and my lover is Patrick.

The cart approaches. An old man is leisurely holding the reins.

It's good to see such a peaceful scene. I'll get information about 2 from him... No, I should ask where we are first.

The merchant looks suspicious at us standing in the middle of the road without luggage but quickly smiles and stops the horse.

"Hello, what are you doing here?"

"Ah, we have a bit of a situation..."

"If you go straight from here, you'll reach Reisdamea. There, you should be able to find a place to live and a job for him."

"...A job?"

"Well, it might be tough, but try your best. With support, you can make it in a new place. In Reisdamea, there won't be any adults trying to separate you."

Is he thinking we're eloping?

A young couple walking silently on the road without travel gear does look like a love escape. I think so too.

Well, the merchant's misunderstanding is convenient. I'll play along and ask some questions.

The name Reisdamea sounds familiar. It's a provincial city in the Balshain Kingdom, not far from the Dorkness territory. It was a fairly large count's domain.

I'm not sure, and it could be a different place with the same name in another country. I'll pretend to be ignorant and confirm.

"Thank you for your concern. Can I ask if Reisdamea is in the Balshain Kingdom?"

"Hehe, of course. The Balshain Kingdom... Oh, no, it's not the Balshain Kingdom anymore."

Not in the kingdom? Reisdamea isn't on the border. Has the world become so chaotic that borders have moved so much?

I feel a sudden tension. I can sense Patrick's tension too.

So, which country is it? The merchant continues with a friendly smile.

"It's the same thing. The Holy Dorkness Empire, Reisdamea in the Balshain Province."

"The Holy... Dorkness... Empire?"

"Oh? Haven't you heard the news that swept the continent?"

"...Sorry, I'm not well-informed about current events."

What? What? What?

The merchant, leaving us in confusion, dramatically tells us.

"The glorious, sole emperor Yumiera Dorkness has achieved an unprecedented feat! She has placed all five major countries and numerous small countries on this continent under her rule! It's the birth of a unified continental nation, which past rulers have longed for!"

Wow! What is that? What is that!

...My mind can't keep up. Reacting to our stunned expressions, he scratches his cheek sheepishly.

"Haven't you heard? It was everywhere a little while ago."

"......I've never heard of it. So... this Yumiera became the emperor?"

"That's right. Oh, maybe the people from your hometown didn't know the emperor's appearance? The Dorkness emperor has black hair like the young lady. About the same age and gender too. If you were opposed to dating because of your hair color..."

"Uh, uh... The emperor has black hair too. I'll think about it."

The theory of it being someone else with the same name was shattered. It must be 2. What is she doing!?

So, what kind of country is this Holy Dorkness Empire? Is 2 implementing a reign of terror? Is she forcing people to build a massive tomb? I'll be stabbed in the knee.

I casually ask about the situation.

"Has a lot changed since the empire was formed?"

"Umm... Not much in my area... The old Balshain royal family is still effectively in charge."

"Oh, the former king is well?"

"Changes have been more noticeable along the former borders. Starting a war with the old mindset would attract the emperor's attention. Oh, since it's the same empire, it's a conflict, not a war, right? Cross-border traffic has increased, and the economy is booming in those areas."

I read in a book that in the Balshain Kingdom, conflicts between territories are less likely to escalate. This is because if local nobles fight too openly, the royal family intervenes and penalizes both sides. This is possible because the royal family has a strong central army.

Yumiera 2 has achieved this on a continental scale, probably with her own strength.

She will be loved by the people but hated by the kings and nobles of other countries. She will fight against the world's domination desires until her death.

She is carrying the entire imperial system alone. She is more like an institution than a human.

Is she really happy now? If the empire is ruled by a lonely emperor, I will destroy it.

First, I'll go see 2. Before that, I'll ask about her personal reputation.

"The empire is impressive. What kind of person is the emperor?"

"Recently, the topic is... a lover audition?"

"...What?"

"The emperor is holding a grand event to find a lover. She's gathering handsome men from across the continent and choosing a husband from among them. Oh, I'd like to be the emperor's husband and live an easy life."

...Ah, 2 is just doing whatever she wants. She's indulging in her desires with her power. Fool! I don't care anymore!

After thanking the merchant, we part ways. I'm exhausted from just a short conversation. I feel more drained than when time reset.

I stand there, dazed, watching the cart get smaller.

I didn't notice, but Patrick hasn't said a word. He's probably thinking more than I am and is more mentally drained.

Ha, so it's the Holy Dorkness Empire.

"...What makes it 'holy'?"

"Is that the first thing you're concerned about?"

"There are many other things, but..."

2 has really done something incredible.

I don't have the energy to meet her. Let's go back first. I want to sleep and, if possible, forget about it.

Silence continues, and we start walking in the direction we came from.

"...Let's go back."

"Okay."

But, it's good to know that Yumiera 2 is doing well.

...Is it good?

The end of Chapter 3 of "The Villainess Level 99 ~I'm the Secret Boss, but Not the Demon King~."

The next volume will be released in about 10 days. Details about new content and other information will be announced in my activity report.

Please don't feel pressured to buy it. Most of it can be read on Narou.

The start date for Chapter 4 is undecided, but it will happen.