Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga – Chapter 95

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“That was quite a neat wrap-up, wouldn’t you say?”

Esmée commented as she greeted us, marking the end of the event with the customary, tiresome praise, envious glances, and awestruck gazes directed at the hero.

“It was almost ridiculously easy.”

“To be honest, I was worried that it would be over too quickly with you using both magic and spirit arts. It was a wise decision to win against the envoys using only your sword.”

Sieg scoffed at Esmée’s reply and sauntered over to Esselua and the other women.

I, however, couldn’t simply brush off her words.

Even considering we still had two more days left, wouldn’t it have been more beneficial to showcase his full strength?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, from the lackluster hero training to the subtle inconsistencies we had witnessed so far.

At first, I had assumed the Empire simply wanted to control and exploit the hero, but as time went on, it became increasingly clear that things were not so simple.

“You seem unconvinced.”

Esmée, who had clearly noticed my transparent expression, remarked with a smile.

“I can guess what’s on your mind, but it’s not something to discuss here. Let’s move.”

I glanced at Lagnis, wondering if something had transpired while we were in the dungeon, but she simply shook her head, indicating she hadn’t heard anything concrete either.

It seemed Esmée had noticed my questioning gaze.

“Surely we should share a meal after all the trouble you’ve gone through for the Empire?”

Esmée suggested to Sieg, offering him her arm in a gesture of escort, but he waved her off without even looking back.

“I’m good. Why would I go somewhere where Esselua would be uncomfortable?”

“As if she ever felt uncomfortable because of her sister.”

“Then let’s say it’s me who’d be uncomfortable.”

Esmée didn’t press further, as if she had anticipated his refusal, and in the end, only Lagnis, myself, and Esmée boarded the carriage to leave the academy for a meal.

As the carriage started moving and we passed through the academy gates, Esmée spoke.

“Don’t you find it strange, the way the Empire treats the hero?”

Her question felt like she had peered right through me.

I might have hesitated to answer at any other time, but with Esmée as the other party, such hesitation seemed pointless.

“I suppose asking because you already know the answer is… your way of hinting that you’re willing to explain?”

“It’s not the right place to be discussing such matters. Feel free to speak your mind.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

I decided to accept her offer.

Persisting with formalities in this already precarious relationship felt like it could have unforeseen consequences.

Glancing at Lagnis, who showed no particular reaction, and Esmée, who seemed pleased, I felt like I had made the right choice.

“Of course, I brought this up because I intend to explain.”

Esmée continued, pausing briefly as if considering her words.

“To cut to the chase, the Empire’s goal is to make all the kingdoms voluntarily confront the demon threat. To that end, they deliberately hindered the hero’s development and overlooked his weaknesses.”

“…I have absolutely no idea how those two things are connected.”

“Let’s start with this. Eldmia, the hero’s achievements weren’t solely built upon the Imperial Holy Church finding him through divine revelation, were they?”

Esmée seemed to be carefully choosing her words, even as she spoke.

Her silence hung heavy in the air, as if challenging me to understand her implications.

And within that silence, I began to grasp the extraordinary nature of the situation.

The first thing that came to mind was Sieg’s aversion to relying on his status as the hero.

He was currently in a stable relationship with Esselua and the other women, but… had he always acted this way?

Had they always been so accepting of him?

Of course not.

Sieg hadn’t exactly been thrilled about being reincarnated into this world.

That meant… how long had Sieg refused to cooperate with the Empire’s attempts to train him?

“Half a year.”

Was my expression that transparent?

Esmée answered the question forming in my mind.

“The hero Siegfried reached his current level after only half a year of training.”

Her words, devoid of any humor, were difficult to believe, for both Lagnis and myself.

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“It was quite baffling at first. Here we had a hero, discovered through divine revelation, who refused to cooperate with us. We still don’t know the reason for his initial resistance.”

Esmée’s tale continued even as we arrived at the restaurant and began to indulge in the luxurious spread laid out before us.

I could understand Sieg’s frustration, putting myself in the shoes of a fellow Otherworlder.

However, from the Empire’s perspective, his complaints and actions must have been utterly incomprehensible.

The hero possessed incredible power and was being offered free training, glory, and rewards.

Humanity’s survival hinged on the upcoming war with the demonkind, making preparation not a choice, but a necessity.

Yet, despite understanding all this, the boy refused to lift a finger, clinging to the seemingly suicidal notion of letting everything fall apart.

Anyone capable of empathizing with such a mindset would undoubtedly raise questions about his mental state.

“It took three years for him to finally start cooperating with the training program. Of course, we couldn’t simply sit back and wait for him all that time.”

The Empire had to strengthen its military, revamp the academy’s curriculum to focus on combat and practical skills, and hold countless meetings to determine how to best utilize their uncooperative hero.

Fortunately, despite his uncooperative attitude, Sieg’s animosity towards monsters and bandits who harmed innocent people remained strong.

This allowed them to enlist his help in those matters, which in turn, fostered his relationships with Esselua and the other women.

Then, just as Sieg began to show some semblance of cooperation, the Empire detected suspicious activities from the neighboring kingdoms.

“Saying that peace had lasted too long is simply absurd. Isn’t prolonged peace a good thing? It was their own selfishness and complacency that brought this upon them.”

Rumors began to spread, questioning the Empire’s motives.

Was the Empire exaggerating the demon threat?

Why was it only the Imperial Holy Church that received the divine revelation about the hero?

Were the other gods silent?

Were the prophecies nothing more than fabrications?

At first glance, these concerns might have seemed valid, but upon closer inspection, they reeked of distrust and arrogance.

The kingdoms had received intel confirming Itisel’s struggles on the front lines, but they dismissed it, clinging to the delusional belief that the demons couldn’t pose a real threat if a single nation could hold them off for so long.

They conveniently ignored the countless sacrifices Itisiel had made to maintain those very front lines.

This led Esmée to a cunning plan: If that’s how they wanted to play it, so be it.

She would turn their skepticism against them.

She deliberately stalled Sieg’s training, presenting the world with an incomplete hero.

To the kingdoms, this seemingly weaker hero became a less intimidating figure.

Their flawed logic went something like this: If even Itisel could handle these supposedly world-ending demons, and the hero, while strong, was still within the realm of human capabilities, couldn’t they simply mobilize their own forces, participate in the war effort, and claim a share of the spoils? The Empire, with its seemingly less capable hero, would be no match for their combined might.

“If he had been an insurmountable, god-like being, they would have given up all hope. Even if it meant immense benefits for the Empire, who would dare to challenge a hero capable of parting mountains and seas? So, I gambled, using the growth the hero had shown in the past six months as bait.”

Then, I appeared, defeating the hero and slaying the Young Lion of Rudra.

“Of course, when I first received the report, I thought everything was ruined. This part wasn’t part of the plan; it was a complete stroke of luck. But… I realized it was a blessing in disguise after meeting you.”

The fact that I, an outsider from Itisiel, had achieved this feat, had unexpectedly amplified the impact of her plan.

Now, the kingdoms were faced with a new perspective.

If even someone who hadn’t received a divine revelation could defeat the hero, perhaps their own champions could achieve the same.

The prevailing opinion was still that it was all an elaborate lie fabricated by the Empire, but that was about to change.

“If the Empire truly intended to manipulate them, wouldn’t they have used a more powerful hero as leverage? Why reveal his weaknesses?”

The kingdoms, convinced that they had seen through the Empire’s supposed ploy, were now falling for the real trap: a false sense of security that would motivate them to take action.

Once they committed to the war effort, there would be no turning back.

They would justify their actions by claiming that the threat to humanity was real, necessitating the involvement of all kingdoms.

The fact that countless lives had been lost and were still being lost in Itisiel to maintain those front lines seemed to escape their self-centered minds.

“It wouldn’t have come to this if Itisiel had received proper support from the very beginning.”

Empty promises, paltry financial aid – the other kingdoms had offered a pittance compared to the gravity of the situation they claimed was a threat to all humanity.

To make matters worse, Itislel itself was embroiled in internal conflict, divided between the Royalists and the Nobles, a struggle that Lagnis had been caught up in.

“And that’s where you come in, Margrave Levien. I needed someone to share this burden, someone who genuinely understood the gravity of the situation and would be willing to fight. While I believe the Itislel Royal Family understands the threat, they are not above prioritizing their own interests. But you… you’ve experienced firsthand the horrors that await us if we fail.”

Lagnis remained silent, listening intently to Esmée’s explanation.

I couldn’t decipher her thoughts.

Unlike me, she didn’t know the full extent of Sieg’s circumstances.

All I could do was wait and watch.

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[Man I can’t wait foe eldmia to finally tell sieg that he also reincarnated]