“Congratulations on your contributions to resolving this incident.”
“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”
Rupert Somerset entered for the second time since the last Abyss Cult incident.
The atmosphere was still solemn, causing quite a bit of tension, but thankfully there were fewer people compared to before.
Of course, meeting the Emperor alone was still daunting.
“I would have liked to celebrate your achievements with grandeur, but there are sensitive matters at hand, so I hope you understand this modest tribute.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty.”
The recent incident involving the Night’s Kin had already spread throughout society.
The reason for this wasn’t hard to guess—it was the elves.
“Of course, I can’t entirely blame you, but if rumors spread that the Empire’s citizens suffered because of traitors from the elves, it cannot help but have a negative impact.”
Numerous tribes that had lost contact with humans due to the continental tribal wars.
Most of them still live in a situation where they shun humans, but the elves were the only ones who had managed to engage in a little bit of exchange.
If the truth of this incident were to be revealed, it could sever the budding connections, prompting the Emperor to erase all references to the elves.
“Baron Sleepy fought valiantly against enemies that aimed for the Empire until the end and demonstrated the exemplary conduct of a nobleman protecting his territory’s inhabitants. Therefore, I appoint him to the rank of Count and declare that the House of Sleepy will inherit the rights to the title of Count.”
In this change, the biggest beneficiary was the House of Sleepy.
This was Rupert’s suggestion.
“How about we credit Baron Sleepy and the secret order for defeating Sataniel and the Night’s Kin?”
Since the activities of the allied forces, including the secret organization Crimson Warden, had to be concealed, naturally, the enemy Sataniel also needed to be weakened.
Thus, the version of history recorded in the Empire would be that Baron Sleepy had bravely swirled his sword and defeated hundreds of enemies before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
Sataniel in the underworld might clutch his neck in disbelief, but it was a situation he could do nothing about, being already dead.
“Baron Sleepy was such a master of swordsmanship?”
“No way… I’ve known him for years. He never seemed like a martial artist at all.”
“Are you questioning the Empire’s hero?! The Emperor would never lie!”
Of course, those who knew him realized something was off, but given that Baron Sleepy had become the Empire’s hero, they refrained from bringing it up.
Thus, Baron Sleepy became a hero.
*
“I’m so relieved! I wanted to rush to Somerset right away, but with Father and everyone else stopping me…”
After the accolades had ended, it was Crown Prince Alex who welcomed Rupert.
Hearing that Aida and Rupert were in danger, Alex had been anxious to head to Somerset territory, but the Emperor wouldn’t allow it.
“Aida’s unharmed, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness, she is safe.”
Rupert sighed inwardly at Alex’s concern for Aida.
“I really need to teach Aida a lesson.”
It was actually much more likely that Aida would cause someone else harm, but it was clear that Alex wouldn’t believe that, so Rupert remained silent.
“Oh, I’m late with my congratulations. I celebrate your family’s elevation.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“You’re now a Marquis of Somerset. Certainly a good thing, but it’ll bring about a lot of nuisances too, I suppose.”
“That’s certainly true.”
The elevation this time wasn’t just for Baron Sleepy.
The Somerset family had been linked to both the last Abyss Cult incident and this Sataniel affair, thus garnering significant merit.
The Emperor decided to elevate the Somerset family to a Marquisate.
“But it’s a bit surprising that it passed so easily.”
The Count Bradley, who had been simply admiring the situation, found it puzzling, and Rupert felt the same way.
The House of Sleepy, elevated from Baron to Count, was justified enough.
The elevation up to Count could be decided unilaterally by the Emperor, so Sleepy becoming a Count was no big deal.
However, from Count and above, it needed the approval of a majority in the noble council.
“There must have been many nobles who weren’t pleased that our family has been growing recently.”
“Ah… you don’t know that rumor, do you?”
“Pardon?”
“No, this seems like something I shouldn’t discuss right now.”
Alex spoke as if he knew something.
Rupert, curious but unable to press the Crown Prince further, continued the conversation with lingering unease.
“While you’re here, go and visit Ioleen. She’s probably worried about you too.”
Rupert, who had already intended to do so, just replied that he would.
*
“Hmmm… Father has more boldness than I expected.”
Prince William muttered to himself as he read the report sent by the Dark Guards.
– It seems that the engagement between Rupert Somerset and the Princess is not just idle rumors.
William, one of the few who knew the details of this incident, became convinced that the rumors were true upon hearing that the Somerset family’s elevation had been approved in the noble council.
“Father must have had a hand in it.”
From Marquis onward, it was a title that could be considered a genuine upper noble.
The minimum title to be included in the Seven Great Nobles dominating the Imperial nobility, and it represented influence spanning beyond a mere territory.
Generally, nobles wouldn’t welcome the increase of competitors, so it was natural that even if Somerset had accomplished something, opposition was expected.
The fact that the nobility accepted the elevation requested by the Emperor without much objection undoubtedly meant some nobility had been tipped off in advance.
It likely went something like this.
– One of my children, the Princess, is coming of age, and I’m considering Somerset’s second son as her match.
Nobles must have thought, “That makes sense.”
Meanwhile, the Somerset family’s close ties with the Crown Prince and Third Prince were raising concerns, and the engagement with the Princess was akin to putting chains on him.
“Once Ioleen is involved, my brother would have no choice but to restrain himself after ascending to the throne.”
While the title and family name might rise, it became a very precarious position for wielding real power. Hence the quick-witted nobility would have gladly agreed to it.
“Dispose of those plans.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
William felt relieved as well.
Rupert’s recent close interactions with the Third Prince, the powerful nobles of the Empire, and royalty from other nations had been suspicious, and now he wouldn’t have to implement the plans they had laid in case of a worst-case scenario.
*
“Your Highness, you’re truly amazing!”
“Hmph… Is that so?”
“Yes! The term genius surely exists for you, Your Highness!”
Voices of Rupert and Ioleen resonated from within the Princess’ palace.
The outer man, who wasn’t even allowed to set foot here, had visited this place multiple times already—Rupert was in high spirits, holding a manuscript in hand.
“This illustration is simply the best. Of course, it’s important to make an impact here.”
“I knew you’d appreciate it! This is actually meant to surprise with the final villain’s reveal…”
The two discussing the latest manuscript of [Puppet Play] appeared like very compatible friends.
“Has there ever been someone the Crown Prince treats so casually?”
Head Attendant Aiden quietly observed and pondered.
“You need to check if there’s something more than friendship going on between them.”
He had received a top-secret order from the Emperor.
Aiden was the one who brought Rupert to Ioleen’s place, but their relationship looked like good friends rather than romantic interest, which troubled him.
“Where could the author’s eyes be?!”
Aiden was at his wits’ end.
Other men struggled to take their eyes off Ioleen’s face.
Yet from their first meeting to now, Rupert’s conversations with her were only about their works.
Even now,
“How about ‘Faceless One’?!”
“Faceless One? Ah! That means the one without a face. Quite a cool moniker!”
“Doesn’t it fit perfectly?”
Watching Rupert and Ioleen excitedly discuss their comic brought him immense frustration.
“No, perhaps it’s precisely because he’s like that that the Crown Prince doesn’t mind keeping him close?”
However, since Ioleen had never shown interest in a man, maybe it meant that the right match for her could indeed be someone like him, Aiden thought.
“By the way, I heard that [White Whale] is concluding soon.”
“Indeed, Your Highness. It might be early, but the quality of the work is more important, so we’ve decided to wrap it up.”
“Then isn’t the number of works in Manaphea rather low?”
Ioleen believed one of Manaphea’s strengths was the ability to enjoy multiple works simultaneously, so if one of the six works currently ongoing fell out, it could be quite detrimental.
“Another project is already prepared.”
“Oh, that kid Ismael has prepared for his next work?”
“No, I’m planning to do another piece myself.”
“What? Aren’t you already working on [Van Helsing]?”
Ioleen replied, surprised.
It was no wonder, as it seemed impossible for Rupert, who was already working on one piece, to take on another.
“Are you… planning to conclude your own work?”
“No, I plan to draw just one more piece.”
“Is that possible?”
Ioleen, not knowing about the blessing Rupert had received from the goddess, could only respond that it was possible.
“Well, if you say it’s possible, then I guess so. But can you tell me what your next work is?”
“Hmm… It’s still a secret, but I’ll tell you especially, Your Highness.”
After pausing for a moment, Rupert opened his mouth.
“It’s called [King of Cards].”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
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If king of card is something like yugi-oh I’m curious how it will turn out lol
Bros gonna make so much money off of yogioh cards