As days passed, the public's voice regarding Frondier became increasingly clear. While there was praise and welcome for Frondier, there were also voices of doubt and distrust mixed in.
On the one hand, there was the undeniable fact that Frondier was one of the powerful individuals who prevented the war and defeated Belphegor.
On the other hand, there were conspiracy theories that he had joined hands with the devils, or was a devil himself, and that he would leave Roach to initiate something sinister.
These two narratives weaving, creating chaos within the Empire. Surprisingly, the flames of the conspiracy theory, with its flimsy basis, were growing larger.
Some out of curiosity, others out of envy and jealousy, hands reached out from the shadows, attempting to grab the hero who had clearly saved the Empire by the scruff of his neck...
The meeting place for Frondier, Philly, and Elysia was Philly's hideout in the basement of the Terst Department Store. It was the most suitable location for security and confidentiality.
Philly and Elysia arrived first and waited. A moment later, Frondier arrived. It was impossible for them to meet in advance outside the Imperial Palace.
Frondier bowed his head. His face, seen for the first time in a while, looked healthy but was deeply etched with worry. And,
"...What's that? Those bandages?"
Philly noticed the bandages on Frondier's face. His wounds hadn't fully healed yet, and he had gotten hurt again during training.
It wasn't as swollen and comical as his first day at Constel, but it looked rather pitiful.
Frondier had no reason to lie, so he spoke honestly.
"Training that leaves Frondier's face like that... What kind of dangerous things are you doing?"
Philly frowned, unable to imagine it. She was well aware of Frondier's strength and knew how difficult it was to penetrate his defenses and attack him.
But to not only break through but also leave Frondier's face like that...
"...I'm doing various things."
Of course, Frondier's injuries were a result of not using his full abilities, but he didn't bother to explain.
Frondier turned his gaze to Elysia and gave a slight nod. Elysia awkwardly accepted the greeting.
While she may have been his servant while by his side, she had now returned to the Imperial Palace. It was only natural to show respect to the First Princess. ŔΑΝꝋʙĘṦ
Of course, it would be extremely awkward for Elysia.
"Then, let's get down to business."
"Yes. As expected, you know my preferences well, Frondier."
Philly smiled brightly. With a slight wry smile, Frondier spoke.
"My name is being heard throughout the Empire."
"Yes. And it doesn't sound like good news."
Philly and Elysia had guessed the reason he called them from the beginning. Certainly, the current situation wasn't favorable for Frondier.
The hero who had just recently led the war to victory and prevented the devil's attack was being subjected to excessively distorted rumors.
'The people of the Empire believe that most of the work in preventing the devil's attack was done by Elysia. As Frondier intended, of course. But...'
Because of that, Frondier himself was treated as an outsider regarding the devil attack incident. This was why the rumors about Frondier and his relationship with the devils were taking a negative turn.
"It's true that I haven't handled things perfectly. There are still devils remaining in the western Agoris lands, and I haven't eradicated all the devils hiding within the Empire. I've ignored seemingly insignificant things in order to solve the bigger issues."
Therefore, the price of ignoring those insignificant things was the current situation. A new wind that threatened Frondier's own environment and safety.
Frondier's eyes turned cold and sunken. Philly knew those eyes. Elysia knew them too.
These were the eyes of Frondier at his most fearsome.
"Your Majesty, the Empress, I apologize for the intrusion, but do you believe in fate?"
Philly tilted her head at Frondier's question. Elysia, standing next to her, thought,
'...Of course, right? Mom has 'precognition'.'
Elysia knew that Philly possessed 'precognition'. It wasn't just Elysia; all of Philly's daughters knew about this ability. In Aten's case, she had already experienced precognition when trying to save Frondier. Although it manifested differently than with Philly.
Precognition and fate were weaving. One who could sense the future couldn't escape the shadow of fate.
"I don't believe in it."
Elysia was surprised.
Philly looked at Elysia with narrowed eyes.
"What was that reaction just now?"
"Ah, no. I was just surprised that Mom would answer like that...?"
In fact, Frondier also blinked in surprise.
"Your Majesty possesses precognition, don't you?"
Moreover, Philly's power wasn't borrowed from a god like divine power. It was her own strength.
A descendant of Vala. It was an ancient ability remembered by her bloodline.
"Frondier, the precognition I have isn't like that. It's not about moving forward as fate dictates."
At that moment, Philly raised a finger.
"Let's take an example. Frondier, you look up at the sky, and it starts to snow. You reach out your hand to touch the snow. The snow comes closer to you, almost touching your hand. At this moment,"
Following Philly's words, Frondier briefly imagined the scene.
Meanwhile, Philly continued speaking.
"...Well, the snow would touch my hand."
"...Hmm. It depends on what I do, but if I stay still, the snow that fell on my hand will soon melt and flow down."
Philly nodded at that.
"That's my 'precognition'."
"My ancestors, the Vala, weren't fortune tellers or shamans who saw the future. They simply knew a lot. They had an unimaginable amount of information in their heads."
Philly raised her head. Her eyes were distant, as if looking at snow that wasn't falling, beyond the ceiling.
"Knowing too much makes predictions incredibly precise, eventually approaching 100% accuracy. If you can believe that your prediction will definitely come true, then you can make further predictions based on that foundation. Repeating this process, continuously predicting from the current point in time to a distant future..."
"...That's precognition."