“Sch… Schlus Hainkel.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
In the waiting room next to the audience chamber.
Once they were alone, Emilia glanced around the room and leaned in to whisper.
It seemed that because of the location, she couldn’t speak comfortably even when it was just the two of them.
“Was what you said earlier… serious?”
“No. It was half a joke. There’s no way the Crown Prince would formally propose to me after his Coming-of-Age Ceremony. I knew that wouldn’t happen, so I just played along.”
“No, not that.”
“Then what?”
She turned to face Emilia.
Emilia, who had been staring at his profile just a moment ago, couldn’t meet his eyes now that they were face to face and just fumbled nervously.
Suddenly, it was frustrating.
What’s wrong with her?
“Th-that…”
“What?”
“That you don’t date children…”
“Yes. I only date adults.”
“Are you referring to mental age?”
“Hehe… No. I’m talking about actual age. You have to be over 18.”
“……”
What was that?
Was Emilia’s cheek slightly puffed up just now?
Before I could confirm again, Emilia suddenly turned her head away.
“Why is that?”
“Never mind. It’s fine. Seriously…”
Her voice had a strangely irritated tone.
Did I make her angry?
Before I could figure out what it was, I thought I should apologize first.
“Schlus Hainkel. The Emperor calls for you.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
I bowed to the minister who entered as the door opened.
Then I gave Emilia a knowing glance and made my way toward the door.
The audience chamber was a bit dark.
Thinking about it, this was the first time I was seeing the Emperor privately.
The last time we met was at a formal event and perhaps some afterparty-type occasion.
It wasn’t a true private meeting, strictly speaking, since there were courtiers lined up beside us.
“Schlus Hainkel. I greet you in response to His Majesty’s summons.”
“Yes. Responding to the summons. Quite an emphasis there, huh? Hehe.”
“……?”
I thought he was angry.
But seeing him laugh from the start, it seemed like he wasn’t in a particularly bad mood.
Was it okay to expect a slightly relaxed atmosphere?
I lifted my head back up straight again.
“I heard there was a big incident during the midterms at the Imperial University. It supposedly happened because of you?”
“I can’t deny that. It was a terrorist attack aimed at me and my attendant. I’m truly sorry for causing a commotion.”
“No, you didn’t cause it directly. So are you and your attendant safe?”
“Yes. I didn’t sustain any injuries.”
“That’s really fortunate. Hehe.”
“……”
I gazed into the Emperor’s eyes.
He was smiling as if merely enjoying the moment.
I hadn’t thought anything of it earlier, but now it felt somewhat creepy.
It was just an unfounded hunch, but… I couldn’t shake the idea that maybe the Emperor had hired Jin.
“I want to give you a little hint.”
“May I ask what that is?”
“The Papal Palace is keeping an eye on you.”
“……”
The Papal Palace.
I had a guess as to why.
It was probably an issue related to resurrection.
Though I had already been silenced, from the Papal Palace’s perspective, they couldn’t help but come to verify things directly.
“Should I expect to meet the Pope soon?”
“He’d probably appreciate it if you went directly. In fact, it seems he’s been waiting. He seems to be looking forward to when you will make contact.”
“I wasn’t aware of that. I’ll make an appointment as soon as possible.”
“Hehe. Very well.”
But why was he telling me this?
It couldn’t be just to please the Pope from the Emperor’s standpoint.
Was he observing my reaction as he spoke?
The more I pondered it, the more I felt like I was sinking into a swamp.
“I wanted to bestow a title upon you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“But you refused it.”
“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”
“I’ll make you a court magician. Accept it.”
“……”
It wasn’t, “I propose.” or “What do you think?”
It was an order to accept.
It meant no right to refuse was given.
“I’m truly honored, but I’ll have to decline.”
“……”
I had to be rude now.
There was no way I could be tied down with a position like court magician at this point.
I wasn’t a researcher, so I had no need to covet the massive budget and experimental tools provided by the palace.
I was doing just fine as a commoner.
In fact, being a commoner gave me certain advantages because it attracted less attention.
It’s true that at first, I was a bit greedy, but now I had no desire for such positions at all.
If a position restricts my freedom, it was all a loss to me now.
Well, if they offered me a dukedom, that might be a different story…
“You’re choosing to remain a common citizen of the Freya Empire without accepting any title or position of court magician.”
“That’s correct.”
“……”
When did it happen?
The smile vanished from the Emperor’s face.
Now I saw he didn’t look happy at all.
He was giving me a look as if he was glaring.
It felt a bit premature to this moment, but…
I would have to play my card now.
“If there’s nothing more to discuss, you are free to go.”
“Actually, there is, Your Majesty.”
“What is it?”
“There was a rebellion in the south.”
I decided not to use the term civil war.
That would certainly ruffle the Emperor’s feathers.
It was better to say a warlord had initiated a rebellion rather than that the empire had divided.
“I’ll go quell that rebellion.”
“……”
The Emperor’s gaze twisted slightly.
It seemed he hadn’t expected this at all.
In truth, my main reason for going was to raise my and the Holy Knights’ prestige.
While solidifying the empire’s unity was a commendable goal, it wouldn’t make a significant difference whether the civil war dragged on or ended up in the empire’s victory someday.
What mattered was to make it look like I was putting in this effort for the Empire in front of the Emperor.
That was my primary goal, while the side effect of raising my and the Holy Knights’ worth would just be a bonus.
“You mean you’ll quell the rebellion? I know you’re still enrolled at the Imperial University.”
“I’ll use the week’s class cancellation period.”
“A week? Heh. Schlus Hainkel, you seem to be taking the war lightly. Just quelling a rebel army is not something you can approach with a sightseeing mindset.”
“I’m aware. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
“No need to thank me. You don’t have to go. We can leave it to the suppression army.”
“But the suppression army recently suffered a great defeat.”
“……!”
The Emperor’s expression changed rapidly.
Now it was clear.
The Emperor was glaring at me as if he wanted to kill me.
He was about to jump up in surprise but then coughed and sat back down again.
“Cough… cough… What unfounded nonsense…”
“Am I wrong?”
“……It’s not incorrect.”
It was quite a bold gamble.
Since Pelaine’s regular report hadn’t arrived yet, there was no way I could know that the suppression army had suffered a defeat.
But I had enough reasoning to make a deduction.
Pelaine had been sending daily reports, expressing concern regarding the size of the rebel army.
And most importantly, there was a time lag in Pelaine’s reports.
No matter how much they were sent via elite couriers, at least a 12-hour gap was unavoidable.
Looking at Pelaine’s predictions, I concluded the rebel army had launched their attack last night or early this morning.
And judging from the Emperor’s reaction, I seemed to be correct.
“I will go. I will at least cut off support from the rebels in the Great Forest and, if possible, bring back Lorraine’s head.”
“Schlus Hainkel, do you know what you’re saying?”
“Do you prefer to capture them alive?”
“……I don’t care about life or death.”
The Emperor replied in a tone that indicated he was displeased.
It seemed he wasn’t happy about allowing my deployment.
Although he said he didn’t care about life or death, I could tell he wasn’t expecting much.
He was probably thinking I would contribute to a few minor victories at best.
“How many troops will you need?”
“Troops? I think any more than this would be risky.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I draw any more from here, it would have to come from the northern kingdom troops. I’m truly honored, but I don’t need any troops.”
“Then how will you quell the rebellion? I’m not in the mood for a word game.”
“I’ll rally the remaining troops of the suppression army. That should suffice.”
“Are you suggesting I turn over the position of Commander in Chief to you?”
“Not at all. The commander-in-chief should be someone suitable for the position. Regardless of who it is, I’ll simply follow their orders.”
I was planning to leave the commander-in-chief position to Pelaine.
If my assumptions were correct, the Imperial Knights, who had been at the forefront of battle, would have sustained catastrophic losses.
Likewise, other units would probably have faced near annihilation.
But the Holy Knights should be fine.
If the Holy Knights had adequately prepared for such a scenario, even if they were small in number, they would still be fit to lead the confused suppression army.
Pelaine’s leadership would be more than sufficient as well.
Of course, there would be those who disagreed and thought, “What can a private knight do commanding the suppression army?”
When that time comes, I could simply have a moment of ‘gentle’ persuasion.
In the end, everything would go my way.
“You’ve truly lost your mind. So you know that the suppression army has suffered a defeat, losing 70% of its forces and has also lost the 4th Castle that they were using as a base, and you still want to jump in there and turn the tides? Without any additional troop support?”
Oh… shoot.
I didn’t know the situation was that dire.
Losing 70% and the base!? That was complete annihilation.
I hope the Holy Knights are okay…
If the Holy Knights fell, it would be the end for me.
“Yes. Just as you said.”
But now there was no point in backing down.
If it got too difficult, I could always use Roman’s wish token.
Summoning the Imperial Army’s 3rd Corps to deal with Lorraine’s rebel army felt a bit too flashy, but…
Of course, it would be best if that didn’t come to pass.
It would be wise to save Roman’s wish token for a more desperate situation later.
“Very well. Schlus Hainkel, I hereby grant you permission to deploy. I will bestow upon you the title of knight.”
“Your Majesty, about the title…”
“I know. It’s only a temporary title. No territory or authority will be granted. But it will be more helpful in commanding the troops in the south. Should you return alive, you may return the title.”
“I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Stop with the thank you… hand over your sword.”
“……?”
The Emperor coughed a couple of times and then reached out to me.
Without hesitation, I drew my sword from its scabbard with my left hand.
The two knights beside the Emperor flinched, but he stopped them with a wave of his hand.
I walked toward the Emperor on my knees, presenting my sword with both hands.
The Emperor groaned as he stood and took the sword.
“Ugh… It’s heavy. Lift your head.”
“Yes.”
“Like a proper knight, we’ll keep this ceremony concise.”
When I looked up, the Emperor was facing forward, holding the sword with the tip pointing upward.
Judging by how he lifted the longsword with one hand, his strength seemed to be still very much intact despite his age.
“By the authority given to me by Aigis, I, Emperor Gustav Friedrich von Freya of the Freya Empire, command you to pledge your loyalty as a court knight serving directly the victor of the continent, the Emperor of the Freya Empire.”
Now it was my turn to swear my oath.
Any clichéd phrase would suffice.
But none of it would be enough to truly convince the Emperor.
Something more certain was necessary.
“……!”
I activated my internal circuit and summoned Vafe from my palm as I stood up.
Standing upright, I met the Emperor’s gaze, and by that time, the Vafe had fully manifested.
As I clenched my fist tightly, a clear glimmer of a sword appeared in my right hand.
“I solemnly swear before Aigis that I shall boldly confront death and its fear, rage against injustice, and defend justice…”
I raised the Vafe right in front of my left chest.
I was close enough to strike the Emperor at any time.
But I didn’t move; I merely held the sword high.
The blue light radiating from the sword illuminated both the Emperor and my face.
“I swear here to become Your Majesty’s sword.”
The Emperor then wordlessly struck my shoulders in turn with the sword.
Then he brought the sword forward and touched the Vafe.
With a *swish* sound, the Vafe was pushed down by the blade of the sword.
“For the Empire.”
The Emperor muttered softly, and I had to correct him.
“For the continent.”
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