Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 298: Is That A Bump?

The mansion felt empty without Siriel, who had once declared herself the legitimate wife.

It was the time when Hugo, Eldrina, and Glen were all asleep.

This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Taking advantage of the moment when even the servants had scattered, Latera swiftly headed toward the snowy field.

Whiiiii-

‘Ugh! It’s cold!’

Though she possessed the skill of “Ethereal Form,” which rarely caused her to take damage, the feeling of cold still lingered as a strange part of the natural order.

Snow was cold, and it was only natural to feel chilly when facing the winter wind. Yet, Latera, with her small frame, trudged through the wintry snowfield.

Even though Hugo and Glen suggested staying inside to drink warm cocoa and sleep, neither sweet treats, nor a warm fireplace compared to the goal of becoming a great archangel.

Warmth and comfort in the present were never something she could trade for a brilliant future. That was Latera’s philosophy of life and her very reason for existence.

After thoroughly searching both the main and guest houses, she followed the thread of fate to a particular place.

“You crazy bastard!”

‘Huhu, I’ve arrived at the right place.’

The shrill voice came from a graveyard where hundreds of barbarians were buried.

Even though she was in ethereal form, worried she might still be discovered, Latera hid behind one of the many gravestones and focused on the voices coming from nearby.

“You crazy bastard! I asked where the bathroom was, and the best you could do was bring me here?!”

“I’m sorry. I thought since Lucia had gone to the academy and seemed so kind-hearted, that even if you were called ‘Blackie,’ she wouldn’t treat you like an actual dog… I didn’t expect the cabin to have no bathroom.”

“Why are you changing the subject?! You just said there was a bathroom!”

“Well, that’s why I brought you. This is the bathroom.”

Pat, pat.

“Hey, where are you patting?! You’re making it harder for me to hold it in!”

“If you can’t hold it, you might as well go here.”

“But this is a graveyard! Our warriors are buried here…”

“Warriors, my foot. From today, you’re my concubine and an imperial citizen. Stop talking nonsense about warriors. If you’re an imperial, act like one.”

‘Hah…!’

While eavesdropping, Latera couldn’t help but gasp.

A declaration of love out of nowhere in an open snowy field! Was it because he was destined to save the world that even his boldness was overwhelming?

Listening to such a situation from the sidelines, instead of praising him, made her feel inadequate as a guardian angel. Resolute, Latera poked her head out from her hiding spot.

‘Sheesh…’

What she saw was nothing short of shocking.

A leash around the neck.

Clothing far too thin to be considered proper outerwear, just flimsy silk.

And visible red handprints on her…

Slap!

The sound of a lightning-quick slap. Startled, Latera quickly hid behind the gravestone again.

“You crazy bastard! I-I swear, I’m going to wet myself!”

“Whoa, whoa, don’t do it here!”

With a grunt, Shiron picked up Yoru, who was anxiously twisting her thighs.

“If you’re going to do it, you should at least pee on the gravestone of the most despised guy here.”

“You… you crazy jerk! That’s my father’s grave…”

The barbarian woman’s words trailed off before she could finish.

Instead, the only sound that filled the air was the small trickle of a stream hitting the gravestone.

“Ugh, you bastard. Huhuhu, you’re a real piece of work.”

“Hey! The bastard here is your father. Who told him to start a terrorist attack, huh?”

“Sniff… Aaahh!”

“Don’t cry. Honestly, even you think that Gaijin was a bastard, right? Feeding poisonous bugs to his own daughters, cursing them just to protect their own skin?”

“But… sniff.”

“You should be thanking me for getting revenge on your behalf and turning your life around.”

“Sniff, now I’ve been married off… Sniff—Even in the afterlife, I’ve been sold off!”

Smooch.

“Why are you kissing me again?!”

Smooch.

“S-stop! When you keep doing that…”

Smooch.

“Enough! You’re going to make me die of embarrassment!”

…

Latera clicked her tongue at the sudden declarations of love.

Her flushed face grew hotter, and she rubbed her cheek with a handful of snow.

‘…What am I doing?’

A surge of emotion welled up from deep within her.

Jealousy? Regret? A vague sense of embarrassment? Guilt? There was no need to define it.

The hero sharing love with other women wasn’t a one-day affair, and neither was the feeling of her heart twisting from watching it.

Spying on the hero against his will. Feeling jealous, wishing for his love like those women did.

She was still a rookie with no notable achievements, but she was a guardian angel, tasked with guiding the hero.

Her feelings were far too entangled, far from the pure and upright figure of the god’s proxy.

What more could be said? In the end, it was all just complicated negative emotions.

‘…I need to pull myself together.’

Latera patted her chest, trying to calm her heart.

After all, wasn’t this all just part of the process of becoming a great archangel?

“It’s fine. I can wait.”

She had made this resolve 500 years ago.

‘It’s fine. I can wait.’

Latera repeated the words she had whispered to herself over 500 years. She even scribbled it on her palm, swallowing down the embarrassing emotions as if pressing down on a suitcase that wouldn’t close.

‘…That’s enough.’

Feeling her emotions settle, Latera raised her head.

Ding.

Before her eyes appeared the familiar translucent screen.

.

.

.

[Achievement Progress: 93%]

Huhu. Latera waved her fingers, smiling as if nothing had happened.

Waiting was something she was used to. And now, there wasn’t much time left.

Cheerfully humming, she walked back toward the main house.

---

Two Weeks Later. Southern Checkpoint of Rien.

“Please open the gate! It’s an imperial decree from His Majesty!”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Siriel presented the parchment with an ornate seal to the captain of the guard. The captain, who had rushed up the castle wall to meet her, gave her an awkward look.

“Lady Siriel, we have not yet received any orders from above.”

“Well then! Are you saying this document is forged?!”

“Of course not. You’ve brought it yourself, Lady Siriel.”

“Then open it!”

“Even so, I cannot.”

The captain, speaking firmly, turned his gaze toward the long line of carriages. They were quite large, big enough to fit at least four or five people comfortably.

Ten, hundred… five hundred.

Having guarded the gates for decades, the captain quickly calculated the number of carriages.

If you multiplied five hundred by four or five, that’s at least two thousand people.

It was too many to let in without cross-checking.

“Why can’t you let us through?! I’m invoking the name of Prient! The name of His Majesty the Emperor! I just want to pass through!”

“I’ve already sent someone to the palace.”

“So, you’re telling me to wait here while they travel back and forth to the palace?”

“As expected from the Empire’s best sword. You’ve got it right.”

“Nooo!”

At the captain’s snide reply, Siriel’s face darkened with frustration.

Although she had been able to go months without seeing Shiron, this time was different.

The presence of Yoru, the first concubine she had acknowledged.

Siriel was aware that there were many women by Shiron’s side, and as his official wife, she had mentally prepared herself to tolerate a certain level of infidelity.

But the idea of a specific woman she could now vividly picture being with her brother on this journey had made her stomach churn the entire way here.

And Shiron had brazenly promised Yoru that he would “give life to as many as she had taken.”

‘What if… she’s faster than me?!’

Despite having been with Shiron countless times—so many that she had lost count—Siriel had yet to become pregnant. It was only natural for her to feel anxious as his official wife.

“Calm down… You arrived a whole week earlier than planned, didn’t you?”

At that moment, someone gently patted Siriel’s tense shoulder. She turned quickly to see a nervous-looking Lucia standing there.

Lucia, who feared nothing in the world, was certainly strong, but no matter how powerful she was, her heart wasn’t as strong.

The sharp aura that Siriel radiated was something Lucia hadn’t felt in a while, and it starkly contrasted with her usual kind demeanor, provoking an instinctive fear.

“…Lucia.”

Fortunately, Siriel quickly realized she wasn’t acting like a proper wife. She cleared her throat and did her best to appear composed.

“What is it? Why did you come all the way up here?”

“I heard shouting.”

“We weren’t fighting. It was official business. Right, Captain Ranpelt?”

“Of course, Lady Siriel.”

Captain Ranpelt laughed heartily and nodded. Though he was surprised by the Empire’s best sword’s sudden emotional change, he had been manning the gate for decades and had seen all sorts of scenes.

There was no bloodshed. For him, this level of commotion was nothing.

“But the process is taking way too long.”

Siriel glared in the direction of the palace.

“I already submitted a detailed report about the plan before we even set off. If he claims to be such a capable emperor, shouldn’t he be on top of such trivial details in advance?”

“Well, maybe there’s just too much on his plate.”

Lucia thought of Shiron, who had left earlier.

They were dealing with thousands of foreigners—members of the Silleya tribe, each with formidable strength.

Lucia could guess that, even for an empire as large as theirs, it was no easy task.

Kugugugugung-

The long wait finally ended as the massive gates lowered, creating a bridge over the moat. Beyond the gates stood an infuriating woman dressed in a man’s outfit, whom they had often mocked for being lazy.

“As expected from the Empire’s best sword. I didn’t think you’d come earlier than ordered, but of course, the Empire’s best sword doesn’t disappoint.”

“…Have you been well, Your Majesty?”

No matter how angry she was, public and private matters had to be kept separate. Siriel halted the procession and knelt formally.

“Yes, from here, the imperial family will take over. You’ve done well, my old friend, Lucia.”

“Oh… thank you, Your Majesty.”

Lucia, caught off guard, knelt and replied.

For a moment, she thought about acting casually, wondering what the point was between friends. But today, Victor seemed to be in a good mood, and she didn’t want to ruin it.

‘Huh?’

Now that her gaze had lowered, she noticed something unusual at eye level. Lucia tilted her head as her eyes landed on a small, rounded belly.

‘…Is that a bump?’