Letters written in a language from another world.
I didn't recognize a single word in the letter. It was all gibberish to my modern eyes.
But realizing this problem highlighted another strange phenomenon: although I couldn't read the text, I could completely understand the spoken language of this world. It was a convenient, if inconsistent, magic.
However, now was not the time to worry about linguistics. The woman in front of us—Princess Capella Emerada Lugunica—was the real problem.
Especially since her presence created a serious discrepancy with the lore I remembered.
Logically speaking, Capella shouldn't be active in the same era as Thearesia van Astrea. Thearesia was a hero of the Demi-human War, while Capella... her history was murky, usually associated with an earlier time or presumed dead.
Why was there such a large discrepancy? Had someone deliberately altered the history of this world? Or was my knowledge just incomplete?
It was incomprehensible.
"Forget it," I thought. "Why bother wasting brain cells on the impossible?"
I gave up trying to solve the timeline and looked at the Princess.
She had no idea what my thoughts were. The only advantage I had was that she had invited the "Sin Archbishop of Greed," meaning she knew exactly what kind of monster the original Regulus was.
That meant I held the initiative.
Still pretending to completely disregard her, I casually tossed the unreadable letter onto the ground.
Flutter.
This action naturally provoked her.
"You!" Capella hissed.
Her eyes blazed with fury. But in the end, she forced herself to endure it. She didn't dare explode on the spot.
She wouldn't risk her life against a man who could destroy cities. Besides, she needed me. Burning bridges now would bring her zero benefit.
I continued to ignore her. I raised my hand and beckoned to the girl standing next to Capella—the one who had fetched the chopsticks. She hesitated, then walked over to stand beside me.
Lycoris, sitting next to me, blinked. Seeing how quickly I got into character, she didn't sit idle either. She naturally picked up another slice of meat and brought it to my mouth.
"What brings you here?" I asked Capella finally, my mouth full.
After saying it, I felt something was off.
'I am the Archbishop of Greed, but judging from my behavior, I'm acting more like the Archbishop of Pride.'
Never mind. Whether it was Greed or Pride, the woman in front of me didn't know the original Regulus personally. It was no big deal if I improvised.
Capella, unaware of my internal monologue, interpreted my casual rudeness as a deliberate power play. She racked her brain, wondering if she had offended me.
'Did I offend him? No... unless inviting him to my territory counts?'
But she was a Princess of the Kingdom. Extending an invitation was standard protocol. If he was giving her a hard time over that, he was incredibly petty.
Then again, this was a man who destroyed nations for unknown reasons. Who knew what crazy thoughts were in his head?
'I'm starting to regret bringing this guy here,' she thought. 'But since I've already started, I have to finish it.'
"My dear Lord Regulus, I..."
"Don't bother with 'dear' or 'Lord.' We're not close," I interrupted coldly.
"Ugh..."
Capella looked like she was suffocating on her own rage. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"Sir Regulus!" she tried again, her voice strained. "Since you don't know why I've come, let me explain."
Her tone was low, vibrating with suppressed anger.
"Oh, go ahead. Tell me," I replied casually.
I opened my mouth and took another bite of the delicious meat Lycoris offered.
Chew, chew.
Wow, being fed by a beauty while ignoring a princess... this was truly a royal experience!
In stark contrast, Capella ground her teeth.
"I want to ask you to help me ascend the throne," she declared.
"Hm?"
I finally looked at her properly.
So that was why she invited the unlucky dead guy?
'Is she out of her mind?'
Given the original Regulus's style, if he agreed to help, his method would likely be simple: kill every other member of the Royal Family until she was the only one left.
Wait! That actually sounded like something Capella would want.
The personality of the Sin Archbishop of Lust was the worst of the worst. Even if she hadn't awakened her Authority yet, her core personality was likely already rotten. Family? Friends? Did she care about them? Unlikely.
If she gained power, she would become the monster I knew from the stories.
"And what is the reward for assisting you?" I asked, leaning back. "Don't try to get me to work for free. My services aren't cheap."
"You can rest assured about that," she said, regaining some confidence. "If you help me ascend the throne, then all the women in this country—whether noble or commoner—will be yours to choose from."
"All women?"
"Yes. All of them. Whoever they may be." Capella's tone was certain.
She had done her homework.
For the Sin Archbishop of Greed, money and political power were meaningless. He could take those whenever he wanted. But a man with hundreds of wives? Clearly, his weakness was women.
Women were the best bargaining chip.
I looked at the woman in front of me.
It sounded incredibly tempting. A blank check for any woman in the kingdom?
Unfortunately, I knew it was nonsense.
She wanted to be the Queen of Lugnica. But I knew her fate. She was destined to become the Sin Archbishop of Lust, a monster loathed by the world. A Sin Archbishop becoming the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom? That was a joke. It was historically impossible.
So... her conditions were bullshit.
But even knowing it was impossible, I didn't want to refuse her outright. Having more "friends" (or allies of convenience) was better than making enemies of future calamities.
"Alright," I said slowly. "I'm listening."
I paused, then smiled greedily.
"But you should have a deposit ready, right? You don't expect me to start working on a mere promise?"
"Deposit..."
Capella fell silent.
She really hadn't thought about a deposit. Given her current precarious status in the Royal Family, she didn't have much liquid wealth or political capital to offer a monster like Regulus.
But in the very next moment, her eyes suddenly lit up. She looked around the room, her gaze sharp and calculating.
"Isn't the deposit right here?" she murmured, a twisted smile forming on her lips. "It's so close at hand. How could I overlook such an important asset?"
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