Chapter: 844
Grandma’s 90th birthday banquet wrapped up successfully.
But it seems like the preparations by my father-in-law and the guest of honor, Grandma, exceeded all expectations. Just a tiny hiccup, really.
The Wise Duke, Trixie, and Mar attended the banquet? They added some spice to the event, but that’s manageable. The Masalo family can withstand the presence of three dukes without crumbling. A family doesn’t fall apart just because some flashy guests showed up.
So it was just on the last day of the banquet that the Emperor’s surprise gift sent shockwaves not just through the Masalo family but across the whole Western Empire.
“The Grand Lady was both delighted and surprised. She humbly said it was too much for just an ordinary noble.”
The scepter that the Emperor sent to Grandma, often called a king’s staff, is a big deal. As its name suggests, it symbolizes the ruler’s authority. It’s so weighty that even a successor wouldn’t dare to toss it around without consequences. It’s way too grand for any noble to receive. And yet, the Emperor sent it to Grandma!
“Is he actually insane?”
Even during my report disguised as a reprimand, the Emperor just sipped his tea nonchalantly. At this point, I’m questioning whether he’s completely lost his marbles.
He’s probably the only one in the Empire who is, paradoxically, at peace. Everyone else at the banquet gasped when they saw Grandma holding that scepter. Even with 90 years of training her mind, Grandma couldn’t fully hide her surprise. After all, she couldn’t refuse a gift from the Emperor.
“Count.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Isn’t it enough that she was greatly pleased?”
Setting his teacup down calmly, the Emperor’s words made my hand clench into a fist automatically.
“Hey, jerk. Don’t just hear what you want to hear—didn’t you catch the part that it surprised her too?”
“…If your intention was to celebrate the Grand Lady’s longevity, another gift would have sufficed. The scepter is too much.”
Trying to keep calm, I relaxed my fist and spoke more directly. Your gift has ‘crazy’ written all over it!
“A scepter isn’t so bad. I was initially aiming to send her a coffin.”
I was left speechless by the Emperor’s nonsensical remark.
He can’t mean the coffin for a corpse, right? Although he’s insane, he wouldn’t throw shade on someone’s family like that.
Besides, he even covered his head as if to say, “That was just a joke.” So he must be referring to a crown.
“Don’t take it too seriously. The atmosphere was stiff, so I thought I’d lighten it up, but it seems your fist just got stiffer.”
Glancing down, I noticed that my hand had reverted back to a fist again without me realizing it. The Emperor’s blunders were that disturbing.
“Alright, I’ll admit it. The scepter is an excessive gift.”
As I maintained my silence, the Emperor sighed and continued.
“But do you think I wanted to send a scepter to a noble? I was worried I’d ruin the joy of the banquet at the very end.”
“Then why…”
“I’ll clarify right away. The scepter wasn’t a gift I can claim as my decision. I had intended to send a carriage, a statue, and a ceremonial sword as gifts to the Masalo family.”
Though those gifts are far from small-time, the fact that the scepter made a cameo painted them in a kinder light.
A carriage, a statue, a ceremonial sword—those are indeed perfect commemorative gifts, especially coming from the Emperor.
“Damn it. Where do I even start explaining this?”
Ruffling his hair roughly, the Emperor sighed again.
“I discovered the scepter of the Trika Empire in Armein.”
“Excuse me?”
Unbelievable words tumbled out.
“Now the Fifth Empire folks are starting to act up again.”
The Emperor’s revelations gave me a headache.
The Fifth Empire. It’s been a while since I heard that name, but it’s not one I care to hear again.
The Fifth Empire is a radical faction in the Kingdom of Armein, claiming that Armein should be the fifth empire after Munno, Trika, Apels, and Kefellofen.
Of course, that assertion is entirely unrealistic, so they’re viewed as lunatics even within Armein. However, now that the Empire and Armein have reached a somewhat amicable relationship, their presence is acknowledged as merely a notion of “something that exists.”
In such a situation, the discovery of the Trika Empire’s scepter in Armein sends a ripple through everything. Even if it belonged to a former empire, the symbol of authority and dominance of the Empire lies in Armein’s hands.
“And just imagine—these idiots, who keep crowing about becoming an empire, seeing the scepter used by the Emperor in their faces. It must be driving the King of Armein quite crazy.”
“Wait, why is a piece of Trika’s property showing up in Armein?”
At my question, the Emperor smirked.
“Count, do you know much about Trika’s history?”
“Apologies, but I’m not very familiar.”
“Back in Trika’s middle period, during a dispute between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, the Emperor hit the Prince with a scepter during the argument. That incident led to the Prince’s death, and after regaining his senses, the Emperor tossed the scepter into the river. Since then, Trika Emperors have not used the scepter.”
“Could the one that he threw away…?”
“Seems it floated upstream to the northern sea and got caught in a net. Lucky break, I suppose.”
The Emperor gulped the now lukewarm tea in one go and sighed again.
Suddenly, I felt a deep sense of solemnity. Just a moment ago, I thought what a madman the Emperor was for his crazy actions, but now it seems that he just tripped and broke his nose in the process. How on earth does a relic from the previous empire show up now, especially in Armein?
“Your Majesty, it’s truly unfortunate, but what connection does this have to gifting the scepter to the Grand Lady?”
I nearly accepted everything until I felt a strange dissonance.
I acknowledge that the Emperor is acting unpredictably. But what’s that got to do with gifting Grandma the scepter?
“Ah, I almost glossed over the important part.”
Fortunately, the Emperor wasn’t just going to let it slide; he nodded and continued.
“To remove the authority associated with the scepter. Rather than suffer from an item that’s been around for over a thousand years, it’s better to just treat the scepter as nonexistent.”
“Excuse me?”
That was odd. His explanation was pretty detailed yet hard to comprehend.
To dismiss the authority of the scepter? Just brush off the symbol of a ruler? What on earth does that mean?
“The power of a ruler doesn’t come from items. It’s merely borrowed for a time. Throughout history, rulers lacking power would not have done so due to the absence of a scepter, right? Trika’s Empire thrived for hundreds of years without using a scepter and then fell.”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Therefore, to stop the Fifth Empire from causing a ruckus and to prevent future incidents, I rushed to create a new scepter and sent it to the Masalo family. It’s no longer just a ruler’s plaything, but a decorative item for esteemed nobles.”
Before I knew it, I found myself nodding. At first, I thought he was spewing nonsense, but the more I listened, the more it fit together.
The Emperor is correct. Objects exist for people’s convenience, not the other way around. A ruler can still reign with just a crown, seal, and throne. What significance does a scepter really hold?
“Plus, do you know how many missing scepters there are from countless countries that have risen and fallen? Every time one is discovered, there are crazies who go on about rightful kingship and whatnot. Rather than deal with that headache, it’s better to bring the scepter down to a noble’s prize.”
I nodded. Just thinking about those annoying people made me want to roll my eyes again.
It’s a good way to think of it: a scepter from the Three Kingdoms scattered throughout the continent. If that’s how it goes, then treating scepters as mere decoration can only be good for one’s mental health.
“It’s the unfortunate King of Armein who really loses out. He finally discovers the artifact from the Trika Emperor, only to see its value diminished. He must be hurting now.”
I silently mourned for the King of Armein, who had become an unwitting victim.
If it weren’t for the band of lunatics known as the Fifth Empire, if only the idiots crowing about imperial statuses didn’t exist, then this scepter discovery would’ve been a lighthearted matter. The King of Armein would be thrilled by his newly acquired treasure, and the archaeology world would be eager about the artifact made with utmost care by Trika. What a happy affair it would be.
But now, to keep the Fifth Empire and other megalomaniacs in check, the Emperor actively intends to diminish the value of the scepter. Suddenly, it has transformed from a prized treasure into just a regular artifact.
“Don’t worry. The scepter discovered in Armein will be collected by the Empire.”
The statement was bound to bring me some unease.
This cruel man. Is it not enough to reduce someone else’s treasure to junk? Now, he plans to seize it? Is he even human?
“It’s already been agreed upon with the Armein side. The devaluation of the scepter is part of the agreement, and if any Armein-related artifacts are found within the Empire, they will be handed over without question. The same holds true in reverse.”
“Oh, understood.”
The Emperor’s added comment made it easier to digest.
After all, it’s not feasible for the Emperor to make unilateral decisions in such matters. It was feasible since the agreement with the King of Armein had already been established.
‘Artifacts related to Armein.’
But is it likely for Armein artifacts to show up on Empire territory? The territories of both have never overlapped.
‘…Just a formality in the agreement, I guess.’
After a moment of contemplation, I quickly reached a conclusion.
The prospect of Armein-related artifacts appearing in the Empire is virtually nonexistent. And the same goes for Empire artifacts being discovered in Armein. This recent trika scepter discovery is an oddity to the point of being bizarre.
Thus, I can safely dismiss that clause. There’s no need to memorize it.
It truly seems the world is against the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I regret to ask, but could you repeat that one more time?”
—The jeweled scepter used by the third King of Armein has been discovered in the Count’s territory of Sorden.
‘What the hell.’
Why on earth would it show up there?
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