Simultaneous Travel: Becoming a Legend in the Heavens.

Chapter 515 The Smile of a Possessed Soul
Upon returning to Roswaal's mansion, Subaru Natsuki excitedly declared that he would go to a nearby village to help the villagers slaughter chickens and pigs to see if he could gain experience points, displaying an astonishing level of initiative.

Compared to the power system in this world that requires learning and research, the monster-slaying and skill-leveling approach in Subarashiki's world is clearly more to his liking.

"You might as well try pouring boiling water on the ant nest."

Luke watched Natsuki Subaru's departing figure and muttered a complaint. Then he turned around and saw the Border Count dressed as a clown walking up to him, smiling at him.

"Hey, what's up, Dior?"

"Oh dear, how sad. Did Prince Luke fail to remember my name properly? Roswaal L. Mezas shouldn't be a hard name to remember, right?" Roswaal made slightly exaggerated gestures and expressed his disappointment in a strange tone.

"..."

Lu Ke didn't speak, but stared at him silently for a few seconds.

Having received no response, Roswaal awkwardly raised his hands in surrender, carefully relaying Reinhard's visit and the matter of the Royal Selection, and handed the Royal Selection Badge to Luke.

"The selection ceremony will start in a month? Okay, I understand." Lu Ke casually took the badge, seemingly unconcerned.

Seemingly taken aback by Luke's flippant attitude, Roswaal paused for a moment, realizing Luke didn't understand the situation, and earnestly emphasized:
"Your Highness Luke, if you successfully pass the selection, you will become the King of Lugnica! Now that the old royal family is all dead, you will be the supreme ruler of one of the four great nations!"

Lu Ke picked at his ear impatiently. "I've already said I know, I know. Don't keep repeating yourself."

The king is nothing compared to Luke, who has a whole bunch of people who rule over entire planets, even the universe.

Seeing this, Roswaal gave a wry smile and bowed deeply.

"In short, if there's anything you need me to do, just let me know. The Border Earl's forces are always ready to serve you."

Understanding Roswaal's implied meaning, Luke paused, narrowed his eyes, and scrutinized Roswaal for a moment before revealing a mocking smile.

"Is this alright, Count Roswaal? I remember you were supporting Emilia. Saying such things now seems like betrayal, doesn't it?"

"Hehe, although it's cruel, Lady Emilia really doesn't have any qualifications to become a king. Whether it's strength, temperament, or background, she's lagging behind the other royal candidates in every aspect. The only thing worth praising is probably her gentleness."

Roswaal chuckled softly, not at all thinking there was anything wrong with his behavior: "But in the competition for the royal selection, this gentleness is just a weakness that holds you back. The princess who lives in a fairy tale needs time and opportunity to grow, but reality is a cruel thing... If you really let her participate in the royal selection, it would just be suicide."

Lu Ke didn't refute, but just waved his hand dismissively, "You talk like an adult who's dreaming of dying. This kind of trait can be considered cute on pretty girls, but someone like you should stay away from me."

"Then I shall take my leave, Your Highness Luke."

Roswaal bowed again and respectfully disappeared from Luke's sight.

"The attempt to curry favor is a little too obvious. What's going on?"

Luke clicked his tongue, preparing to return to his room for a leisurely nap, when he suddenly noticed a gaze cast from the shadows—intense, burning, and yearning. He instantly recognized the spy using invisibility magic: Beatrice, the elf of the Forbidden Library.

"What's wrong, Betty? Is something the matter?"

Luke quickly turned around and grabbed Beatrice, who was almost touching him, only to find that the previously arrogant elf dared not look him in the eye. Her cheeks were red, and she let out a "whoosh" sound. After breaking free of him, she teleported away to another place.

Luke stroked his chin thoughtfully. Roswaal, Beatrice... it seems that the Witch of Greed, Echidna, is behind this.

The witch who possesses the "Book of Wisdom" and knows the past, present, and future is the ultimate mastermind.

On the surface, she was a complete loser because she was an enemy of the Witch Pandora, who was killed by Pandora's ally, the Melancholy Witch, and even had her witch genes implanted into a mentally challenged child by Pandora.

But in reality, everything was under her control.

Count Roswaal, a border lord in Emilia's faction, is obsessed with her disciple; Star Beast Puck and Beatrice are spirits she created; Anastasia's familiar is "Dona the Fox," who possesses a portion of her consciousness; and Priscilla's attendant is another of her disciples, Aldebaran...

Even the opportunity for the three heroes who sealed away the Witch of Envy—the dragon Polkenica, the first swordsman Red, and the great sage—to meet was brought about by her.

If Subaru Natsuki in the original timeline is the visible thread of the world, then she is the origin of all the hidden threads.

"Hmm... I can roughly guess what she's planning to do, but it doesn't look like it'll be boring."

Luke smiled, hoping that the Witch of Greed would cause trouble soon so he wouldn't be so bored.

He opened the room and found two guests already waiting for him.

Ram and Rem stood in the center of the room, looking almost identical except for their hair color. The two sisters crossed their arms and hung down, exuding a serene beauty. Their smooth skin glowed with a rosy tint in the sunlight, and their maid outfits added a unique touch to their look.

Hmm...you're dressed really well.

Lu Ke admired the scenery before him. Actually, he preferred long hair to short hair, which had a gentle and quiet beauty. However, the lack of points in sisterly attributes could not only make up for it, but also be equivalent to doing the bonus question.

"Something terrible has happened! My sister just experienced something very strange in Prince Luke's mind."

"Something terrible has happened! Rem just experienced something very strange in Prince Luke's mind."

The two sisters huddled together, speaking the same words intimately.

Lu Ke sat down in the chair, lowered his eyes, and relaxed his body leisurely: "Don't argue. I advocate treating everyone equally. Whether it's the older sister or the younger sister, they should all be treated well."

The unexpected response stunned Ram and Rem, and that's when the differences between the two sisters became apparent.

Ram sat down on Luke's bed without any hesitation, swinging her legs and admiring her pink and white fingers.

"Although Ram knows she is cute, is it really okay to say it so openly? Isn't it like being a pervert for Prince Luke to say such things?"

"Rem thinks that Prince Luke's ability to appreciate his sister's cuteness is amazing. Even if he's a pervert, he's a pervert with good taste." Rem stood next to Ram, looking at her relaxed sister with longing.

Luke wasn't angry. He smiled calmly at Ram and said, "Still so sharp-tongued, sister. You've corrupted your little sister."

"I just felt that this kind of relaxed communication would be more in line with His Highness Luke's idea." Ram's tone didn't fluctuate much, but it sounded like a gentle breeze.

“His Highness Luke’s status is worlds apart from ours, so if you give the word, Ram will respectfully apologize and will regard His Highness Luke as a esteemed candidate for the throne… Is this the outcome you desire?”

His wine-red eyes were fixed on Luke, as if waiting for him to make a decision.

"No, it's fine as it is."

Lu Ke smiled and shook his head. "What brings you here? Do you need any help?"

Ram blinked, her words blunt: "Prince Luke's memory is at the level of an old man at such a young age. Yes, as a reward for helping Lady Emilia, Ram and Rem are to give Prince Luke a smile every day... Isn't that an agreement?"

"I'm so sorry, Rem didn't realize it at the time and didn't even give me yesterday's portion." Rem rubbed her hands together as if she had done something wrong, and lowered her head in shame. "Um... although I'm a little embarrassed, could you sign it later?"

Although he then dragged Subaru to Konosuba's side, preventing Rem from offering a smile in time, that expression that made you want to bully him was actually quite nice.

"That won't do. Generally speaking, even if you're late for work and want to make up for it online, your boss will reject your application."

Lu Ke deliberately suppressed his smile and frowned deeply. "If it's that simple, then you'll all ignore the agreement and make up for it all on the last day. Wouldn't I be at a huge loss?"

"After all, I saved the Chosen One you supported. I didn't expect you to offer blessings to this wonderful world, but you can't even offer the simplest smile?"

"Um..." Rem looked at Ram for help, at a loss. Then, the older sister sighed, got up from the bed, and put her hands on her hips.

"Stop joking. Laughing so many times at once would greatly diminish Ram's cuteness. From now on, I'll offer you the highest level of smiles every day without fail. Is that alright?"

Luke's malicious silence made Rem speak up somewhat uneasy:
"That...it's Rem's fault. My sister didn't do anything wrong. If anyone needs to be punished, Rem can handle it alone..."

"is it?"

Lu Ke lowered his voice, his hands moving with nimble and unorthodox finger techniques, letting out a malicious laugh: "Since you put it that way, then I'll have no choice but to severely punish the disobedient maid."

"Listen up, Rem, you..."

They use the suspenseful tactics of variety shows to prolong the audio and create an air of mystery.

Rem nervously grasped Ram's hand, looking at her sister's beautiful profile, but seeing no sign of help, she felt a rare sense of unease, awaiting the verdict.

"..."

"..."

"You need double compensation, so including today's, you have to offer three smiles." Lu Ke made a "three" gesture and solemnly stated the punishment.

Rem looked bewildered for a few seconds, completely unprepared for this turn of events.

Ram reacted quickly, shrugging her shoulders with a disdainful look: "You've hit the jackpot, Prince Luke. You've extorted Rem's smile, something so precious, once again. Even as her older sister, I can't help but be jealous."

"Who told you, as the older sister, not to protect your younger sister?"

"Ram has been reflecting on his actions, so why is Prince Luke so determined to hold this matter against him?"

"Blame it on your sharp tongue, my dear sister."

"You've called me 'Big Sister' more than once already. Is Prince Luke perhaps a sister-obsessed person who lacks older sister care? How about we formally call you 'Big Sister' this time?"

The two of them chatted back and forth, their voices remarkably harmonious and pleasant.

Finally realizing what was happening, Rem couldn't help but interrupt their conversation, "Is this all you need?"

Luke patted Rem's head and nodded gently: "Yeah, because Rem is so cute, even cuter than her sharp-tongued older sister, so a little more laughter is enough."

“No, it’s clearly my older sister who’s cuter. Rem is just a degraded version of her…” Rem felt a pang of sadness and shook her head repeatedly. “If that’s what Prince Luke says, then I can only take back my previous compliment that you have good taste.”

"Of course Rem thinks her older sister is better, but from my perspective, Rem is better. I prefer a well-behaved and obedient one to a sharp-tongued one..."

This is actually a way of coaxing people. Lu Ke actually prefers to hear the usually sharp-tongued girl making cute, soft, coquettish sounds under him. The contrast is incredibly endearing.

"Your Highness Luke, you...you're a complete pervert!"

Ram seemed to possess the ability to read minds, and with a disdainful smirk, she revealed a mocking smile.

Lu Ke's lips twitched twice. "Is this the highest level of smile you're asking for?"

"Of course, this is the highest level of mockery Ram has ever given. Prince Luke is the first person to see it. How lucky he is."

Ram shrugged, showing no remorse whatsoever.

Luke raised an eyebrow, his tone natural and fluent: "Oh, I'm so lucky. I feel like I'll be able to play Silk Song very soon after seeing Ram's mockery."

What is the Song of Silk?

"It is something that does not exist in this world."

I don't understand... I don't understand...

As Rem listened to the conversation around her, she suddenly felt a warm feeling in her heart, and a strange emotion flowed through her. Naturally, a smile with tears welling up in her eyes appeared on her face.

The two who were bickering stopped tacitly and admired Rem's smile.

Lu Ke gave a thumbs up, "That smile is excellent, I give it a perfect 10!"

"Prince Luke is too stingy. Ram would give Rem ten thousand points."

"That's too cunning! These kinds of things are usually scored out of 10!"

…………

Sanctuary.

Within a mysterious spiritual space.

The bright spring sunshine was exceptionally radiant. On the lush green lawn, a parasol stood, beneath which sat a pure white, exquisite table and chairs, with a tea set placed on top.

"I really can't see it at all..."

A soft female voice rang out, dreamlike and ethereal, carrying a soothing warmth, a kind of alluring and comforting allure, making the listener instinctively feel trust.

The owner of the voice was a woman who was even more exquisite and beautiful than the doll.

Her entire body was composed of black and white. Her smooth long hair, delicate eyebrows, and long eyelashes were pure white, while her pupils were a bottomless pure black. The long dress she wore was also a black embroidered dress with a mysterious and eerie feel.

"Although I can roughly piece together an image based on what other people say, it's not substantial or vivid enough, and it lacks corroboration... In the end, does a person named 'Lu Ke' really exist?"

Accompanied by the witch's intrigued voice, multiple voices suddenly echoed in the space that was supposed to be occupied by only one person.

"Boring, a waste of energy."

"Well, I'm a little curious... about what kind of person they are..."

"Do people from another world taste the same as those here, or are they different? What's the difference in the texture of their meat? Hmm, I really want to try it, I'm so hungry..."

"That sounds really fun! We can all come and play together!"

"Echidona! Are you trying to do something outrageous again? This is infuriating! I'm about to explode with anger! This is absolutely forbidden!"

Amidst the cacophony of sounds, Echidona sipped her tea, licked her lips, and gave a dry, forced laugh.

"It seems everyone really wants to meet this person, but right now we don't even know if it's true or not~"

She gave a smile that was both innocent and mischievous, like a child playing a prank, yet somehow it could make someone blush and their heart race, and her voice was soft.

"Just try it out for a bit..."

(End of this chapter)