The moment I saw the Holy mother, I got goosebumps all other my body. It was as if something inside of me rejected the mere existence of this woman.
The feeling was strong, almost suffocating, and even if I didn't know anything about her, I understood that she was bad news.
Her appearance made her look like she was the purest woman in this universe, but my intuition told me that there was something dark behind that veil covering her face.
[I am sure that we will win and come out victorious against these monsters, but in order to reach that goal, we need to fight together.]
After saying these words, The Emperor raised his right hand and shouted.
[Glory to humanity! Glory to the Empire! God bless us!]
The broadcast ended there, and my father had a complex look on his face.
As for my mother, she didn't say anything, but from her expression, I could tell that she was pondering about something. Well, I was never good at reading women.
Still, I was curious about that feeling I got when I saw the Holy Mother. It was a bit different from my usual reaction when I see a woman.
For example, when I saw that girl called Neige, I couldn't help but feel that she was the most unreachable girl in this world.
She lived in a completely different world, even though my social status was by no means low.
If this was some kind of dating sim game, then she would be the hardest heroine to conquer, and in the case of a game with a female protagonist, then she would be the villainess.
However, I perceid a faint feeling of humanity in her. I was not sure how to explain it, but even if she was emotionless, she looked like an emotionless human and not a robot.
'I am not sure why, but I am kind of attracted to these kinds of girls who have this sort of vibe. Maybe that's why I am bad with other women?' I thought.
I was also curious about what that person said, concerning the fact that I needed to save a girl to save the world.
'Was he talking about this girl? And if so, why?,' I thought, because I couldn't find any relation at all. 'Well, maybe I am just imagining things too...'
The Holy Mother, on the other hand, was different. That person looked more like a lifeless robot than a human. Everything about her seemed perfect and inhuman. 'Well, I could only see her on the screen so maybe I was just thinking too much.'
I didn't even want to think that this woman might be the one that I needed to save.
It was not I disliked older women, but it was a matter of feeling.
While I was thinking about all of these things, my father sighed and looked at us. "I guess things will get more hectic from now," he said.
"Don't worry, I'm always here to take care of you," My mother said, looking at my father with a an expression that I had never seen before.
"Marie… The girl earlier was pretty but not as beautiful as you…"
"Julius, you are such a charmer…"
Then they began to chatter by themselves surrounded by a weird atmosphere almost as if hearts floated around them.
I didn't know what was going on, but I guessed that it was better to see them like this.
As for me, I also had a lot of things to do and I didn't have the time to sit around.
I didn't know if this action taken by the Empire was a good one or a bad one. I lacked the information to come up with any kind of theory.
'However, I will determine my position in all of this by myself. But first, I need to explore all of the possibilities. Following blindly Cristal or anyone else will only lead to something that I might regret,' I thought.
There was also the possibility that I might be on the wrong side. This was just a possibility but it would be very stupid if I couldn't figure out that I was among the bad guy from the beginning and I didn't even know. 'Well, I doubt that such a scenario will take place, but never say never.'
"Cough! Cough…" I interrupted my parents in what they were doing and said something that surprised them. "I will take the entrance examination of the Holy Academy. However, I need to train and improve my skills, first, so I am going on a trip," I said, just like that.
I was wondering about the best way to tell it to them, but in the end, I just went straight to the point.
"A trip?" My father asked and looked at me with a puzzled look. "Where do you intend to go?"
"I am going to find a legendary swordsman that could help me with my sword skills."
"Really?" My father didn't look convinced by these ideas. "Can't you find someone here? There are a lot of talented instructors here."
My father had a point, and I was also curious about why Cristal suggested I find this person in particular.
I needed to find something that will convince my father. "Well, there is a… a combo move. Yes, an extremely powerful combo move that only this master knows."
"What's a combo move?" My father said, looking at me suspiciously.
'Oh, crap!'
That was very stupid of me. I was so used to talking to Cristal lately, and I forgot that people here didn't know the term that was used on earth.
My mother saw that I had a hard time convincing my father so she helped me a bit. "Why don't we let him go? It's time for him to see the world by himself. Weren't you the same when you were his age?"
"Yeah, that's why I am worried. There was also that incident…" My father replied, still unwilling.
"I understand that you are worried, and I feel the same. However, we also need to trust him," My mother said, expressing her opinion and then looked at me. "As for you, please be sure to remember what I said and always act with prudence ."
"Don't worry, I will be careful," I said.
Then my father asked a question.
"And who's going with you? Don't tell me that you planned to go alone," he said, looking at me with an worried face.
I wanted to come up with something credible to convince him. "Well, I have this friend of mine who knows where the master swordsman is."
"You have a friend?!" Both my parents asked with a face that was more shocked than when they heard the Emperor's announcement.
Honestly, I didn't expect them to be this shocked. "Ha-ha-ha… Of course, I have a friend…"
"Is this person a boy or a girl?"
"What kind of person are they?"
"Why didn't you introduce them to us until now?"
"Where do they live?"
"Do we know their parents?"
My parents bombarded me with questions that I didn't even know what to say anymore.
Tok! Tok!
Before I could say anything, someone knocked at the door.
"One of Lord Adam's friends is here. She introduced herself as Cristal."
After hearing one of the maid's words, both of my parents had an excited look on their faces.
'Really, what's up with them? And what is Cristal even doing? Did she find someone who agreed to pretend to be my friend?' I was feeling a little bit complicated about all of this. 'Was I this helpless to need someone to pretend to be my friend?'
Then they looked at each other and asked the same question again. "A girl?"
After that they looked at me with teasing eyes and then as if nothing happened, they put up a serious look on their face and sat dignifiedly on their respective chairs.
"Please let her in." My father said.
At that moment, I was left speechless. Some things shocked me on that day, but what I saw gave me an extreme feeling of bewilderment.
"It is an honor to be in your presence. My name is Cristal and I am Adam's friend."
Entering the door was a girl wearing a black dress, one that those clothes that cosplayers often wore. 'A full set of gothic lolita clothing? Eeeee? Who the hell is this girl?'
The girl had purple hair and a bob-cut hairstyle. Her facial features were impeccably cute and she looked like a French doll, but she looked emotionless.
"Look… She is a cute girl."
"Yeah. It seems like Adam was hiding something big this from us."
My parents whispered to each other and ignored my reaction completely.
'For real, who are you?!!' I thought to myself.