977. The Emperor’s Greed
The Empire unified its currency and its language.
Through two wars of unification, the Imperial Knights became a symbol of terror for all. Later, they also appeared during the battle against the Demon Realm.
Now, after much time has passed, the Empire has taken the place of a bystander, standing idly by and watching without exerting significant influence on the continent.
‘why?’
Why the Empire was behaving that way was one of Krang’s long-standing concerns. Since he simply could not understand their motives,
Krang began assessing the political situation of neighboring countries as soon as he ascended the throne. However, the previous queen was not a fool; despite the country’s lack of power and the risk of civil war, she ensured a constant stream of information through various intelligence guilds and merchants.
Thanks to this, it was easy to understand other nations, excluding the Empire.
Great nations are warmongers intoxicated by a lust for conquest.
He was a strategist who would have seen the end long ago had the Demon Realm not stood in his way. And
indeed, that is exactly what they did. They fought, lost, and prepared for the afterlife. In a way, he was a magnificent king.
Stake everything on the dream of unifying the continent.
He had arranged for whoever defeated him to unite the continent and carry on his dream, if not himself. Although he was a madman, he was admirable for the blind dedication he had shown toward his goal.
Evergart is a silent beast when not eyeing his territory.
That beast proved that it actually read the flow of the times and possessed the skill to draw exquisite lines and walk the tightrope.
Didn’t he choose a side after recently visiting and seeing Encred?
The moment he decided to wage war against the Demon Realm, they, too, would join his side and fight for him.
Azpen was like a hyena waiting for the moment Nowrilia was vulnerable due to civil war.
There was much talk that he acted this way because he had received help from the Empire, but even now that the battle with Azpen is over, the Empire has neither extended a helping hand nor interfered.
The other trading city-states were busy looking out for themselves, and the Holy City-states were rotting away, unable to squeeze out the pus growing inside them.
Well, the situation has changed now, but that was how it was back then. It is just that things are very different now compared to when he first ascended the throne.
Then what about the Empire?
They do not step forward despite possessing power.
Hidden in pitch-black shadows, only their two eyes stare directly at this place. The emotion reflected in those eyes is as emotionless as that of a fairy, making it impossible to read anything.
I cannot read the intention behind the action.
Ignorance is fear. The unknown is also fear. At least, that is the case when it comes to wars between nations or when a story unfolds.
Krang was afraid of the Empire. However, if asked whether he would kneel before them, that was a somewhat different story.
At least.
There are things the Empire does step forward to do. Can you judge them by looking at that? That was not the case either.
Although a few knights came out to fight during a truly dangerous moment when an incident broke out in the Demon Realm, they did not actually reveal their lust for conquest.
They mostly extended their reach to the continent only when they were trying to attract people, specifically those with exceptional talents.
Send the recruiter.
They send a matchmaker to encourage marriage.
It looks like they have been solely focused on reorganizing the internal affairs and building strength.
Isn’t gathering power meant to be used? Where and when will the Empire use that power?
This was one of Krang’s greatest anxieties. The Emperor of the Empire—in other words, the master of a group whose victory could not be guaranteed even if the Mad Knights accepted a single demon’s proposal and added another demon to the fight—was summoning him.
Should he get scared at this point? Krang did not. He simply picked up the flounder roe he was eating with a fork and put it into his mouth.
A savory and creamy taste filled his mouth. Meanwhile, the salty scent of the sea wafted through his nose.
It’s well-baked.
It would be nice to share something like this with everyone.
Inevitably, there is a difference in food between royalty, nobility, and commoners. Marcus stepped forward while the King was calmly eating. It would be more accurate to say that he couldn’t hold back and spoke up. He, too, was still at the age where his blood was boiling.
“If it is an invitation, are you asking the King of a nation to come in person?”
The question was full of venom. It implied, “Do you even think before you speak?”
Yes, I am earnestly asking of you.
The female messenger replied immediately. Her tone suggested she was conveying only clear facts, devoid of emotion.
Her response was mechanical, as if she had perfectly meshed gears attached to her body.
Naturally, whether it was an earnest plea or a threat, it was not something that could be easily accomplished. That was Marcus’s conclusion. His face turned red. He was on the verge of telling her to shut up.
“Can’t the Emperor come in person?”
Encreed also swallowed the flounder roe and asked, “This is really delicious. They said the royal chef grilled it, and the skill is truly outstanding. Didn’t they say grilling it just right is one of the hardest things in cooking? If you undercook it, it tastes fishy, and if you overcook it, it’s dry and tough, but this was neither.”
At Encreed’s words, the wizard frowned this time.
“How dare you?”
I wondered if such a thing would come up, but before the wizard could even finish speaking, the female Grim Reaper spoke first.
I cannot be away due to personal reasons.
It sounded as if he were saying he could have come had there been no such circumstances. Encrid was about to ask about those circumstances here, but instead brought up the promise he had made.
After all, hadn’t we agreed to ask what they really wanted? Using the excuse of having defeated Balmung? Encrid’s gaze turned toward Balmung, and his mouth parted wide, calling out to him.
“I would like to ask Sir Balfir Balmung, the Knight of the Beasts.”
“He will answer without me having to call him by such a grand name. This is really delicious.”
He, too, was enjoying the flounder roe. This fellow was someone who understood the value of food. Honestly, Encrid didn’t dislike the knight Balmung. He
didn’t find it bad that Balmung admitted defeat, and he liked seeing the mature side of him—calmly going about his business instead of acting like the world had ended just because he lost.
It wasn’t a bad impression at all. Of course, the wizard standing next to him was unpleasant just to look at. But
there are always people with unpleasant appearances everywhere.
His curly blonde hair looked like hair growing somewhere else entirely, and whenever he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled and drooped even further; he found that sight extremely unbearable.
Should I say he didn’t like the angle of those drooping eyes? After all
, there are angles you dislike for no reason.
Anyway, Encrid finished what he was saying.
I want to know what the Emperor wants.
“Isn’t it okay to ask this much? I’d appreciate it if you answered honestly.
Even if you deny it, it would be nice if you showed a little bit of your ulterior motive.
” It was a remark like a dagger aimed at many things.
Balmung silently gazed at Encrid. It had been a short duel, but did something akin to goodwill develop between swordsmen?
Watching the mad knight’s attitude and swordsmanship, he, too, judged him to be decent in his own way. In other words, even more so than before.
Had he stayed in the Empire, he would have been a truly outstanding asset.
“Will you believe me if I tell you?”
Balmung asked back.
I will listen carefully.
Encrid replied immediately.
It was neither that she believed nor disbelieved.
In this respect, it was evident that Encrid possessed quite keen political acumen.
Even now, hadn’t she responded by evading with a vague answer while demanding a response from the other party?
She certainly speaks well.
Balmung thought as he looked at the female envoy. She nodded. With that brief action, it was clear who the person in charge was right there and then.
The initial plan was to overpower the opponent who stepped forward by force. Simply put, I intended to seize control of the atmosphere by intimidating them with brute force. You know the customs of the continent, don’t you? If that didn’t work, the final plan was for a real Grim Reaper to step in.
The law of the continent is that those with power decide everything. This means that if things go wrong, they draw their swords.
As if to show his cunning, Balmung came straight here and recited the reason for his actions.
It was something that Kreis and some others had already predicted.
“Well, you must be feeling a stomachache because things didn’t go your way.”
Rem spoke from the side. His words were laced with a hint of laughter. Of course, it wasn’t just laughter; he spoke with a belligerent air . “
If you’re going to summon someone into the jaws of a demon beast, you have to give a valid reason.”
Instead of saying it directly, he set the mood. Rem subtly pressured his opponent with his characteristic aura. “
I stand on the front lines of the continent’s laws. If I don’t like it, I’ll swing my axe.”
He conveyed this with his whole body. He was subtly revealing his determination to turn everything upside down if things went wrong.
Even though the Imperial delegation could sense all of this, they did not show any particular discomfort.
Ah, Moll, the squire of Balmung, and the mage did briefly wear uncomfortable expressions, but those two had no say in the decision-making.
I swear to Will and say this.
It was a remark Balmung threw out of the blue. A sudden oath? As everyone, including Encred, stared at him in silence, Kreis frowned.
Don’t do it.
He spoke, but Balmung ignored him and spoke again.
“I swear on my honor that I will not cause any harm to the King. If any unsettling event occurs, it is alright for every Will within me to vanish.”
A knight’s oath is like a spell. Balmung staked his life as a knight. The furrow between Kreis’s eyebrows deepened.
Your Majesty always wishes for the peace and well-being of the continent.
The female messenger spoke again, as if this were the sole will of the Imperial Emperor.
Krang remained indifferent, while Marcus’s face turned red, then pale, then red again.
The Duke of Octo quietly gazed at the female messenger’s face.
Was everyone busy with their own thoughts?
Amidst this, Kreis opened his mouth. Even though words and questions poured out in a rapid succession, his pronunciation was precise and clear enough to be heard distinctly.
“If we ignore your words now, we will be disregarding the honor of the Imperial Knights, but if we say we will respect your honor, it seems the King himself would have to enter the Empire. Do you think such a request would be granted? Do you truly believe your honor is greater than that of a nation’s king?”
Balmung let out a short groan, “Mmm,” and answered.
“No, I don’t think so. It is simply our intention to demonstrate our sincerity.”
“Either disregard the honor of a knight or grant this absurd demand! You are forcing us to choose one or the other!”
Kreis shouted angrily. It was loud enough to echo throughout the dining hall. At the powerful shout, the female Grim Reaper’s gaze turned toward Kreis. Kreis did not avoid her eyes, either.
“What we demanded was preposterous, so you cannot dare say that we disregarded honor. My name is Seriana Kraus.”
“I am Kreis Allman.”
We hadn’t even introduced ourselves yet. We briefly exchanged names.
If you refuse, the empire will remain just as it was yesterday.
What Seriana said was borrowed from a part of a famous story.
Being the same as yesterday means maintaining the relationship as it has been so far.
“Didn’t you come to discuss tomorrow? Surely you didn’t come to sell things.”
Kreis responded to that remark. It was an answer that borrowed parts of the same story.
The maxim they borrowed was the tale of a merchant living as if yesterday, a soldier faithful to today, and a ruler advancing toward tomorrow.
It meant that when a merchant encounters a monster, he runs away for the sake of a today that is like yesterday, the soldier fights for today, and the ruler persuades the monster for the sake of tomorrow; however, Kreis was rebuking the other person for discussing that story, implying that they had come for the sake of governance and politics.
“I have not come to threaten you. I am merely arranging a meeting between your King and our Emperor.”
Seriana chose a straightforward approach. She revealed what she wanted and made it clear.
Is it right for the King of a nation to be absent from his post at this moment? Although he is on very good terms with Azpen, even if he were to go that way, they would roll up their sleeves and stop him.
Crys saw no reason to move forward while carrying all those anxieties.
Why don’t you at least hear the reason?
Krang slammed his glass down and spoke. Perhaps because he had eaten a hearty meal in the meantime, his face glowed. His cheeks were flushed from a glass of wine as well.
The proposal they had thrown out was merely a proposal. Then, whose choice was it?
Kreis knew that all of this depended on the heart of one person. And the messenger named Seriana knew that too.
