*clunk.*
I snapped to attention and opened my eyes at the sudden stop.
Just the smell made it clear where I was.
“It’s here.”
“What? Where?”
“Where else? The Institution.”
I smiled at Erica, who sounded dazed, and opened the carriage door first.
In front of the imperial palace, it was the busiest road of the New Town.
Even though it was still early in the morning, the road was already full of carriages and people.
Turning back, I saw the others yawning as they came out.
“The long journey is finally over. I’ll send the promised compensation to your mansion.”
“I don’t need it, Schlus.”
Iris waved her hand with a smile.
Right. To be precise, Iris didn’t join as a combatant but volunteered as a Saintess, so she couldn’t receive compensation.
“Then I’ll send it to the Schulzenburg Mansion and the Wigenburg Mansion…”
“Hey, why am I being left out?!”
“Because you decided not to receive compensation separately.”
“What?”
Erica pushed her face towards me in disbelief.
Is she already forgetting things?
“I said I’d replace your sister’s nightmare with compensation.”
“Uh…? I think that was a bonus or something. Wasn’t it?”
“Why would I give you a bonus when you’re already so precious? That was definitely instead of compensation.”
“Ah…”
She must have thought it wouldn’t matter since I couldn’t give her a large reward when we left.
But now that we achieved such a huge victory and got tons of loot, it seemed she was getting greedy.
If you want to blame anyone, blame your past self, Erica.
“I have something I hope everyone will hear.”
“…?”
“Thank you. For following me. Had any one of you not been here, it would have been impossible to pacify the South in the short time of a week. It’s all thanks to you.”
I bowed my head and expressed my genuine gratitude.
Ainz, who brought us a glorious victory and turned the tide,
Erica, who completed a tremendous spell and laid the groundwork for our counterattack,
And Iris, who passed along information and kept being the mental support of the suppression army.
And Trie, who always led the charge and became the main character of the opening battle.
It was thanks to all four of them that the end of this civil war was possible.
Honestly, when we set out, I thought it would be good just not to lose the 4th Castle, but I never dreamed it would go this well.
A thank you wouldn’t even be enough.
“Hoohoo! Schlus has finally learned how to be grateful, huh?”
“…”
Is Erica trying to get me down?
“Well, Schlus, next time, it’d be better if you share more with us. I get that keeping important stuff to yourself feels safer, but… we’re not just tools. It’d be nice if you trusted us as much as we trust you.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Great! Then are we disbanded? Ugh! I feel funny! I wanna go home and sleep!”
“Won’t you be pestered by your mother when you get back?”
“Ah… right. What should I do? Can I crash at your place, Iris?”
“If that happens, I’ll contact the Madam to take Erica away.”
“Why!?”
One by one, everyone began to scatter at the intersection.
This was really the end.
I turned around with the box tucked under my arm and headed towards the imperial palace.
I still had things to do.
“Who are you… Hah! Lord Schlus Hainkel!”
“I wish to see His Majesty the Emperor. Tell him I’ve brought Duke Lorraine’s head.”
“Ah, of course! Please wait a moment!”
As soon as I stepped through the main gate, the guards began to fuss around like an alarm had gone off.
It wasn’t because I was a direct knight of the Emperor, but rather…
“Extra! Extra! Duke Lorraine has surrendered!”
It must have been the frenzy of newspapers selling like crazy at that store back there.
It seemed my exploits in the civil war were being reported almost in real-time.
Of course, it looked like they hadn’t heard yet that Lorraine had been executed due to the time lag.
“Lord Schlus! His Majesty wishes to see you. I’ll guide you.”
“That’s fine. I’ll find him on my own.”
“Ah… yes…”
When the guards suddenly tried to escort me, I declined and walked inside.
Why are they doing this now? It’s annoying.
I felt all eyes on me as I walked down the corridor.
Previously, every time I entered a building, I had to go through security checks, but this time it was different.
Everyone was avoiding eye contact and simply clearing the path for me.
I reached the audience chamber without anything blocking my way.
“I’m too early.”
No matter how prepared I was, it would take a bit longer to let the Emperor adjust his mindset.
It usually takes at least 20 minutes to walk from the main gate to the audience chamber, but today it took only 5 minutes since I walked quickly without any checks.
Even if I slowed down a bit, it wouldn’t mean much.
“Shall I enter?”
“Yeah.”
The attendants opened the door, and I stepped inside.
The Emperor of the Empire, Gustav.
He sat on his throne with a stern face, looking surprisingly more vigorous than before I left for the South.
“I’ve returned after subjugating the rebel army in the South. Here is the box containing Duke Lorraine’s head.”
“…”
I knelt and offered the box.
Then one of the ministers approached, took the box, and showed it to the Emperor.
The Emperor, who had remained silent, peered into the box and parted his lips.
“You’ve certainly been busy.”
“Yes. I tried to showcase my abilities to secure the enemy’s surrender as quickly as possible.”
“…”
The Emperor’s expression darkened.
I had a rough idea of the nuance behind his words, but I pretended not to understand.
“You executed the duke the day after you got him to surrender. Why is that?”
“Because Your Majesty said you didn’t care about life and death.”
Of course, that was when I answered without thinking he would truly expect me to get the surrender.
If I had answered seriously, he would’ve probably said to capture him alive and dispatch him to the Institution.
He was questioning me for making such an important decision alone.
“I see. Besides that, you also concluded negotiations with the Great Forest and declared the emancipation of slaves. Each of those is an accomplishment of considerable stature.”
“I’m honored, Your Majesty.”
Negotiating with the Great Forest and declaring the emancipation of slaves…
Both of those were decisions I made on my own without consulting the Emperor.
However, from their perspective, they were indeed significant gains.
So he could scold me about the results without directly reprimanding me, instead twisting my actions to pressure me.
I understood the unease he might be feeling.
Seeing Schlus Hainkel, who was already perceived as having considerable power, gain even more power and reputation was likely a concern for him.
It was natural for a monarch to be wary that I might harbor ulterior motives.
It was also my duty to reassure my lord that such a thing wouldn’t happen.
“Your Majesty. I am solely loyal to you for the future of the Empire and the continent. This is the truth, sworn to Aigis.”
“I believe you, Schlus Hainkel. I do not quite understand why you are suddenly saying this.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I express my respect for your hard work. It would be right to grant you an appropriate reward for your achievements. I wish to bestow upon you the title of duke for the Southern Colony. The people there support you greatly, so you should have no trouble governing them.”
“…!!”
No way.
Absolutely not.
Do you know how much of a mess I made in the South?
Thanks to declaring the emancipation of slaves, the population of freedmen must have skyrocketed by now, and the administrative tasks were likely bordering on collapse.
Moreover, the former landowners—the slave traders—would be protesting wildly.
To finish land distribution, I’d have to negotiate with the slave traders as well.
The problem was that I almost had no money to pull from during that process.
I had created the precedent of 0% tax during the suppression—what a miracle that was.
As long as that precedent existed, even a slight increase in taxes would cause massive backlash from the public.
It was a situation where I was utterly doomed in taking the position of duke of the Southern Colony no matter how I looked at it.
“I’m truly honored, but I must decline.”
“Decline? Why is that?”
“It’s too much of a reward for me.”
“…”
I noticed the corner of the Emperor’s eyes twitch slightly.
He seemed very displeased.
He must have planned to have me clean up the mess I made, but I couldn’t accept that.
“Then I shall do this instead. Receiving the Black Eagle would be a deserved honor, yet it is regrettable that you are already a recipient. I hear you used an elixir during negotiations with the Great Forest. Therefore, how about we reward you with an elixir?”
“I’m honored, Your Majesty.”
“Additionally, I will raise your salary to 1 million Tirion monthly. Your pension will be increased to the same level as well.”
“…?”
Salary?
What does that even mean?
After thinking it through, I realized.
I am still in the position of a knight under the Emperor.
Being a temporary knight, I should quickly resign my position.
“Then I will now—”
“Your business is done for now. I have business to attend to, so please take your leave.”
“Yes. As you command.”
I had to bow my head and leave the audience chamber without finishing my sentence.
As soon as the door slammed shut, I had a gut feeling.
“I messed up.”
I totally blew it.
The Emperor doesn’t trust me at all.
Seeing that he was trying to keep me tied to the royal family by forcing me to remain a knight made it obvious.
With a reputation for being an untrustworthy subject who would throw off his position at any moment, and possessing combat power to take on 2000 infantry…?
Damn. That makes me a target for purging.
No matter how I thought about it, I thoroughly messed up.
“Hoohoo. When did you come into the palace? What a coincidence.”
“…”
Turning at the sweet voice, I saw none other than Aria, who was covering her mouth with a fan and giggling.
Coincidence, my foot.
She came here because she heard I arrived.
I hadn’t planned to meet Aria, but it wouldn’t hurt to do so.
The more cordial my relationship with the future heir becomes, the better.
“You certainly created quite the stir in the South. I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been not to showcase your skills all this time.”
“That’s too much praise.”
“Do you hear it as praise? What’s wrong with your ears, heehee.”
“…”
It seemed Aria was also here to poke fun at me.
Seems this conversation wouldn’t be very productive.
Just as I was about to leave, thinking she’d seem hesitant to bring up something important…
“Well then—”
“Schlus Hainkel. I know you’re currently the Emperor’s direct knight.”
“Yes, that is correct, Your Highness.”
“The Emperor has too many swords to wield. He doesn’t have the time to worry about a bulky and unnecessary sword like you. So how about becoming my sword? Live and die for me instead of the Emperor.”
“…”
I subtly gauged her intentions; it seemed she was genuinely saying this.
I was tempted, I can’t lie.
But I couldn’t risk angering the Emperor any further.
“I am a sword for His Majesty. I am practically a sword for the Crown Prince waiting to ascend the throne. Once you ascend, you can wield me as you wish.”
“That sounds a lot like you’re telling me to kill the Emperor and usurp the throne.”
“…”
Is she out of her mind?
Why would she interpret it that way?
I suddenly felt cold sweat trickling down me.
“If you intend to frame me, you may interpret it that way.”
“It was a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
“…”
“Good. I have seen what I wanted, so you may leave. Ensure you don’t get hurt before I ascend to the throne.”
“Yes, I will take care of that.”
I waved goodbye as Aria turned to leave, and I gave her a deep bow.
After today, I was sure of it.
If the Emperor planned to take me out, I had to strike first.
In the original story, he should be bedridden right about now, but seeing him healthy meant hoping for his death was foolish.
A wise choice would be to utilize the Crown Prince and Aria to dethrone him and place her on the throne.
I needed to act quickly and smartly.
Otherwise, I would die.
